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#all they want is a shelter and a home they never did anything wrong to us and we hit them with a broom
sleepinginmygrave · 1 month
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nothing makes me sadder than thinking about spiders
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gojonanami · 4 months
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❝ 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐑𝐄𝐃 ! ❞
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❝ A GOOD GIRL SUMMONING THE KING OF CURSES -- WHAT COULD GO WRONG? ❞
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✧ pairing: heian form! ryomen sukuna x good girl! reader
✧ summary: you've always been a goody two shoes -- or so your friends say -- so what happens when you decide to do the first bad thing you've ever attempted and try summoning a demon -- and it actually works?
✧ warnings: 18+, nsfw, smut, dub/con / non/con (dead dove, do not eat), reader summons sukuna accidentally, monster fucking, corruption kink, reader is a virgin, dom! sukuna, heian form! sukuna, four arms, mouth stomach, size kink, oral (f + m) (f receiving via mouth stomach), handjob (m! receiving), fingering (f! receiving), sex (p in v), creampie, degradation kink (slut, whore), overstimulation (f! receiving), description of violence (no violence happens), art by @/danXL4 (on dA), dividers by @/saradika
✧ wc: 4,916
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Summon a demon in your apartment, they said. It would be fun, they said. 
‘They’ meaning your stupid ass friends who were too fucking scared to stay here with you while you did it. 
Maybe you should’ve thought this through, preferably before you sat in a circle of blood (animal blood taken humanely that could not be used — don’t worry, you weren’t completely insane), and painted the symbols around the circle in the living room, your carpet rolled up, and on the precipice of unfurling, and your coffee table pushed aside. 
Your phone buzzed with messages in your group chat: 
Don’t do this, girl. 
Another message. 
What if it’s real? I don’t want something to happen to you - like I rather not have this on my conscience
What heartfelt pleas, you shook your head, as you put your phone on ‘do not disturb,’ and propped it up before opening the camera app and hitting record. 
Your fucking friends — it was all their fault to begin with. 
You grit your teeth, you are tired of being boring. You were always studying, always coming home early, always getting to class on time, always the fucking good girl, never getting fucked up or fucked for that matter. And your friends always taunted you for it — told you that you never lived a day in your life, that you’d always live sheltered in your apartment with your books and your streaming apps (which, you admitted, did sound pretty good to you) — but you wanted to prove them wrong. 
All the fuck they did that was daring was go to supposedly haunted sights and get the piss scared out of them — like yeah, that really was the wind, not some fucking ghost. If it was a ghost, pretty sure they would choose someone better to haunt — not a bunch of fucking pussies. 
You needed better friends. 
So for once — if only to get them to shut up — you wanted to do something crazy. 
You don’t know why a demon summoning was the hill you had chosen to die on, but you already climbed your way to the top of the hill, you supposed, so you might as well die on it. You looked through the Reddit thread you found on demon summoning (of course the most reliable of sources), looking over the incantation you were supposed to read, as you turned on your camera. 
Fuck. This was going to fucking dumb. You grabbed your lighter, lining up your candles around the circle, before kneeling in front of it. 
“To summon the King of Curses,” you read before you scoffed, what the fuck were you doing? ‘The King of Curses’ — they couldn’t even come up with anything more creative than that? Like no latin? Or even japanese folklore — no, instead the most generic ass of names, “To summon the King of Curses, you must read the following incantation,” you glance at your phone’s camera with lips pursed — you were going to prove a point — but why did it feel so goddamn stupid? 
You sighed, rubbing your forehead, as you suck in air between your teeth, and sighed, before reading the incantation: “Rise, Disgraced One — Oh, the King of the Golden Age that reigned supreme,” there was a chill that grazed the back of your neck, a slight breeze that raises goosebumps along your skin, “Open the Gate of Hell and let the King corrupt you. Fuga,” 
The flames on the candles shoot to the ceiling, as a scream lodges itself in your throat, as you barely scramble back enough to avoid getting your face burned off. The fire licks the ceiling, and a thick cloud of smoke floods your apartment, sweeping through the apartment, as you begin to cough, eyes burning with tears. 
“What the fuck—“ you reach for your phone in your pocket only to realize it’s still set up to record in that fucking mess of flames. You’re frozen, as you stand trying to recall what they taught you about fire safety growing up — is opening a window a good thing or a bad thing? Where’s the fire alarm? Do you even have a fire extinguisher? Thinking dangerous things through wasn’t your specialty, you supposed because you never did them. 
Fuck, if you died, you would become a fucking ghost and haunt your friends. 
But the flames ebb away, leaving some scorch marks on the ceiling (fun thing to explain to your landlord), as your lungs struggled to cope with the flood of smoke dispersing, the cloud so thick, you could barely see your hand in front of your face. The haze seared at your throat, drawing a smoker’s cough from your lungs, while your eyes could barely open, waterlogged by the sheer amount of tears spilling. 
You gently wipe tears away from your eyes, as you blink them away, until you stumble to your window to throw it open, coughing, as you stick your head out. 
“What the fuck,” you mumble, throat raw — was it the candles you bought? Were the candles somehow really fucking defective? Or did you somehow actually summon a demon? You snort, no, it was probably the candles. You leaned against the window sill, letting the smoke escape — as you finally were able to breathe again. 
You sigh, shutting the window, turning back around — only to find four eyes staring back. 
He was huge. A hulking mass of muscles, four arms, instead of two, and each one was possibly wider than your head, no shirt or covering to find the exposed skin — his dark blue pants hung low around his waist and above it was a weird groove in the middle of his stomach. 
Your eyes raise as he lifts his arm, as you flinch, but he only rakes his fingers through his dark pink hair, pushing it back roughly. showing off the hands of black around the middle of his bicep and his wrists. Broken lines wrap down from his shoulders into jagged points that end in the middle of his chest. Black dots adorn the sides of his shoulders, hollow vacuums that stared back at you. 
Two eyes on each side of his face — but his right eyes were raised, as if he bore a mask made of wood or raised skin — you didn’t know which — fused to his face. But something told you — as you took a step back — it wasn’t something you wanted to find out. 
“Are you the brat who dared to summon me?” And you freeze at the sound of his voice, ringing with such a weight, it nearly brought you to your knees. Your eyes fell to the ground, unable to bring yourself to look at him — your heart rattling against your ribs. His presence was a pressure, the air around you seemed to still, his voice ringing in your ears. Your muscles were drawn taut, unable to move — shivers ripping down your spine. 
“Yes,” you manage a whisper only, resisting the urge to squeeze your eyes shut. 
He gives a small chuckle, “So submissive for the one who dared to summon me,” his heavy footsteps out of the circle, melts the candles beside his foot to puddles of wax, “it has been eons since I’ve been able to roam free—“ he inhales, as you stand frozen, hearing his hulking form drawing even closer, “I can smell the humans, roaming free, wriggling like worms in the crevices of this place — I can’t wait to massacre them,” and then he pauses a moment, as he considers you. 
“Brat, look at me,” you swallow, as your head slowly rises to meet his gaze, his form towering over you, standing two steps away from you, letting you dwell in the void of his shadow, “tell me, what did you use to summon me?” 
You blink, “I found it—I don’t know—“ 
“Read it to me,” he orders — there’s no option to disobey, unless you’d love to be met with certain death. So you move slowly to your laptop, reading the incantation again, “‘and let the King corrupt you. Fuga,” 
His eyes narrow, as a slow smirk settles over his features, a smirk that sends an icy chill down your spine, “Woman, you have no idea what you’ve done, have you?” 
Two of his arms are crossed while one of the other’s reaches for you — and your eyes shut now — you are surely dead, but instead of a hand around your neck, you feel fingers grip your chin. 
You wait for the embrace of death (at least maybe you’d find better friends in the afterlife), but it never comes, instead you hear a deep chuckle, as another arm curls around your waist and brings you flush to him, “You humans are so tiny, so fragile, one wrong move and i could break you,” and another large hand is slipping down the curves of your body, “I suppose I’ll have to be a little careful — only for this to work, and I suppose for your benefit as well,” and your eyes finally dare to open and peek at him, only for his face to draw near, breath warming your lips, “I’m going to savor corrupting you, little one,” 
“What the fuck—“ you try to break away, but his grip is like iron shackles around your wrists, as he forces your arms around his waist, caged in by his own arms, “please let me go—“
Before you can even finish your plea, his lips meet yours, swallowing your gasp with a smirk. His large hands around your waist left no space for retreat, not that you’d make it far even if you tried. His kiss sent a slow burning heat throughout your body, a spark that grew in your belly that ignited when his tongue slid into your mouth. His touch only added fuel to the flame — his hands skimming over your sides slowly like warm honey sliding down your skin. 
He parts your kiss ruined lips, not before his teeth bite down on your bottom lip, a smirk on his lips as he sees your saliva slip down the corner of your mouth. Your lips parted and puffy as he drags his thumb down them, eyes blown out with pleasure. 
“That’s it, give in,” and the haze that settles over you is thick and unforgiving, unable to see anything but the King of Curses before you and unable to need anything but pleasure at his hands. 
“Please,” a small hint of resistance remained stubbornly — you couldn’t let this monster have his way with you — for fuck’s sake, much less lose your virginity to him, “I can’t,” 
“But you want to,” he hums, as large fingers tug at your flimsy shorts, the fabric tearing with ease, until it was in shreds, a shiver running up your spine at the thought that your limbs could have been too, “your mouth says one thing, brat, but your lower lips,” a thick finger presses at the wet patch on your panties, rubbing against your puffy clit, “say another,” 
You whimper, as his finger bears down harshly through the thin fabric, “please,” you swallow, as he leans down to lick the drool from your lips, “please—“ 
“Please, what, little one?” he chuckles, as he presses wet kisses up your jaw, “I can’t give you what you want if you don’t tell me,” your knees are beginning to buckle, as the ache between your legs only grows, “I know you must look pretty when you cry, so do you want to cry for me, brat?” and his piercing gaze nearly brings you tears along, “because I can give you something to cry about,” 
“Do you ever shut up?” you mutter, but that only seems to make the corner of his lip tug upwards. 
“I can make you shut up,” And two hands squeeze your hips roughly, while another slips under your shirt, “No undercovering? It’s as if you wanted this all long,” he chides, a huff in his voice, as his finger teases your pert nipple between his thumb and forefinger, pinching and pulling, drawing a yelp from your lips, “hoping for an incubus or some other curse or demon?” he’s tugging down his pants, revealing his dick—-if you could call it that. 
Fuck, was that a cock or another appendage all together? Far thicker and longer than any male anatomy you’ve seen depicted or described in even the filthiest corners of the internet — pretty veins running up the sides, as a mess of pre-cum dripped off the engorged tip, flushed red with need. 
“Why did you summon me?” he demands to know as he leans down to take a nipple between his lips, and you know you have no choice but to answer. 
“I wanted to prove to my friends that I wasn’t—” it was so pathetic now, as you stood before a literal deity of death, “wasn’t just a good girl,” 
He chuckles, a bark more than a laugh almost, as you swallow thickly as your eyes can’t tear away from the sight of his dick — would he kill you with it instead of his hands? 
“Well, you aren’t anymore are you?” he scoffs, and you fail to notice his hand shifting to tug your underwear off, a gasp ripped from you, as another hand brushed against your bare cunt roughly, “Look at how fucking wet you are already, slut, so much already leaking all over my fingers,” he shows you the strings of pre-cum connecting his fingers, before he brings his fingers to his lips and his tongue darts out to lick them clean, “I’d say no respectable woman would be dripping this much if she was so good,” he hums, before sighing mockingly, “although, perhaps I should preserve your sanctity, even a little. It would be unfortunate to leave you like this — even more so, to leave myself like this, but if that is truly what’s for the best—“ his grip begins to loosen, but your fingers find his shoulder. 
Two words manage to leave your lips — and you don’t know whether it’s that you’re under his spell or under your own — but you know that you need this “Don’t go,” 
His lips curl. He wasn’t going to begin with — but it was so much easier if you gave in. 
~~~
“C’mon little one, you were so eager only a moment ago,” The King of Curses chides, amusement threaded through his tone from behind you, watching as you nearly straddled his stomach — though you had realized it wasn’t just a stomach. A tongue flicked out over lips that formed over the middle of his abdomen, right under you. 
“I didn’t know—“ your cheeks warmed, your walls fluttering at that thought of that tongue against your leaking cunt. 
“Yet you’re so eager,” he scoffs, before using a large hand to tug you against it as two hands settle against your waist to hold you in place, “and I’ve run out of patience, so be a good whore and take my cock,” and he’s pushing your head down, sharp fingernails digging into your scalp, as his large cock slaps your face, smearing his pre cum over your cheek and lips. 
Your lips part, the tip of your tongue tracing his weeping slit, drawing a hiss from his lips, before your mouth engulfs the head, while your fingers curl around his thick base. And as you do, you feel his tongue drag over the length of your cunt, making you gasp around his cock. 
His mouth and tongue are even larger than the one on his face, slurping and sucking, as his tongue begins to work its way inside your needy cunt. 
“Don’t slack, brat,” his hand pushing your head further down on his cock, nearly burying your face in his pubes, “come on, do a good job, and I may even give you the pleasure of being fucked by me,” 
You force yourself to focus on sucking his cock, tracing the pretty veins with your tongue, before suckling at the tip, savoring the groan you draw from his lips. The squelch of your cunt as his tongue begins to fuck you open, thicker than even four of your fingers, fills your ears. Two of his hands find your tits, tweaking and twisting your nipples, squeezing as he presses the flat of his palms against your breasts, only for tongues to dart out from his palms. You gasp around his length, as his other mouths suck at your tits, swirling their tongue around it. 
His hips jerk against your mouth when your fingers cup his balls, and he thrusts, “You can do better,” he grunts, as his tip grazes your throat, his mouth closing around your clit and sucking, hard, and you’re grinding on his abs and mouth now, toes curling as you cum, and his mouth only eagerly swallows it, the sticky release coating his abs. 
His cock twitches in your mouth as you moan around it, as you recover from your orgasm, beginning to suck at his cock, nearly high off the pleasure, as you fondle his balls, bobbing your head up and down, until he’s finally groaning, his hot release flooding your mouth. 
“Don’t waste a drop,” he growls, as you swallow it, blissed out and panting, as your lips leave his weeping cock, slapping against your cheek as he lifts you easily and places you on your back, “don’t tell me you’re done after that, little one,” and your eyes slide down to see his somehow still erect dick, standing tall as he kneels on your bed, his hulking form burying you in his shadow, “because I’m far from done yet,” his cock twitches at the sight of your lips, a swollen mess from sucking him off, a mix of his cum and your saliva all over your face. 
“Please, I can’t—“ you whine, shaking your head, but two hands are already spreading your folds, your cunt fluttering around nothing, as if already craving to have his dick buried in it. 
“Your cunt seems to disagree, little one,” as he drags a thick digit around your clit, before pinching it, as you keen under his touch, “you’re drenched for me, begging for me to take you,” and his thumb is now rubbing circles around your puffy clit while he sinks a finger into you knuckle deep, “I just have to make sure you can fit me in this tight hole of yours,” your head falls back against the pillow as he’s knuckle deep, another large finger already pushing into your slick walls, “still so tight despite all the time I took to open you up,” he clicked his tongue, a smirk on his lips, as his fingers find the spongy spot that makes your fingers fist at the sheets, as your release squirts over his fingers, your body boneless as pleasure buzzes through every inch of your body, until you finally start come down. 
But as soon as you even begin to, his fingers begin to move again, fucking you through your orgasm, and quickly into another. 
“Ngh, no, no, not yet—” your voice is caught in your throat, words leaving your lips in a hurry because you know surely his fingers would rip any coherent thought from your mind in a moment. 
But he does not relent, only finger fucking you harder, “I have to be careful to open you up, otherwise, I very well may break you in two, wouldn’t I? Such fragile things, you humans are — already squealing? I haven’t even added a third finger yet,” he scoffs, as he hums, “have you not been deflowered yet, brat?” 
And your pussy gives a telltale flutter that only has his lips curling further, a flash of his canines sending a chill down your spine, “I-I—”
“No need for your answer, pet, your body gave me the answer itself,” he hums, “then this will take a bit longer than I thought—” as his fingers curl and drag over your walls, before scissoring apart, “I’d prefer for you to be conscious when I take your virginity, but I don’t mind if you’re not,” 
And a fourth finger presses at your slick hole, making you whimper, “Please, I can’t—” but he does not relent, four fingers now fucking you open, as your mouth parts in a silent scream, back arching as they work you open. Your body lies on slick drenched sheets, the smell and sound of your arousal only making his need grow, holding back if only not to ruin you completely — he needed you still, needed this to work. And he wasn’t sure what’d happen if he’d break you completely — and he knew he could far too easily. Already he could feel your blood rushing under his touch, the small gasps and moans could turn to screams with just a finger barely lifted, the slick painted over with scarlet. 
But he doesn’t. He can’t. Not when he’s so close. And soon enough he won’t need you — but he can only cross that bridge when he gets there. 
Or rather, when you get there. 
~~~
“Brat, c’mon, keep your eyes open, we’re almost there,” Sukuna barks, as his fingers grip your chin, and force your gaze to him. How many orgasms had he given you? Seven or eight ? Maybe more. Sweat and cum clung to your skin, sticky and hot, as he continued to fuck you open, “think this virgin hole is finally ready for my cock, listen to it,” the loud squelch of your cunt as he thrust his fingers in and out had almost become white noise to you — and the sweet stretch of your pussy around his fingers had become second nature. 
And finally he’s pulling his fingers from you, digits shiny and dripping with your release, sliding down your palm and wrist, as he brought them to his mouth to lick it clean, before offering it to his mouth on his stomach as well. He watches you all fucked out before him, legs spread along with your cunt that fluttered around nothing, waiting for him to slot his cock between your folds and sink in. He grunts, fuck, his balls still feel so full, even after cumming down your throat, aching to cum in your sweet cunt, see him fill your womb with his seed, the sweet release he had been craving for far too long. 
“You still want my cock still, little one? Or are you too tired for it now?” he drags his leaking cock over your dripping folds, letting it tease your swollen clit as his pre cum mixes with your own, “maybe I should leave you like this, let you beg and beg for me until you’re writhing for me,”
You’re panting, the ache inside your pussy too much for you to bear — you were melting without him inside, the only thing to quench your need, your thirst — he was the only thing that could even begin to make it ebb. 
“Please, please, my King,” your words are nearly sobs, pretty tears slipping down your cheeks, as your chest heaves with need — want far gone several hours ago, leaving only you with a desperation that would drive you mad, “I need you, need you take me, need you to fuck me,” 
And his lips curl, “I thought you’d never ask, brat,” and he’s settling himself between your parted legs, pressing them back against your stomach, “although even if you didn’t, I’d help myself — because you summoned me after all, didn’t you, little one?” As he uses another arm to cup your chin, “watch me as I sink into you,” 
Your cunt quivers as he presses his head to your entrance, as he uses your slick to wet his cock, “I’ll go slow at first, but once I’m inside, I have no intention of stopping, no matter how much you beg,” 
It was a warning, a warning that there was no going back — but there was no going back from the moment you summoned this curse onto your doorstep — there was a descent into depravity, and how quickly you’d make it to the bottom. 
The tip of his cock barely parts your folds, and you’re already whining about how full it feels — your walls fluttering as if trying to either  accommodate his girth or push him out all together. He saw the faint drip of scarlet as he worked himself in, inch by inch — as your fingers found purchase in his forearms, nails digging crescents into his flesh. 
“F-fuck, ngh, Too big, Sukuna, I can’t—“ and he can already feel your pussy give the telltale flutter of an orgasm, a cry ripped from your throat, as you cum, walls only pulling him in deeper and deeper — as if they never wanted to let go. 
And finally, finally, he bottoms out, his hips pressed flush to your aching cunt, and he stills — it had been so long since he had enjoyed the body of a virgin, but he was sure you were the sweetest and tightest cunt he’d ever had. 
Your cries made him scoff, tears streaming down your ruined face, it made his cock twitch —you were so small compared to him, a tiny pebble waiting to be crushed, but instead he held you in the palm of his hand. You were his to have, his to break, and his to corrupt. 
“I told you there was no stopping,” he grunts as another hand settles on your stomach, on top of the slight bulge that came with his cock sinking into you, “can you feel me touching the deepest parts of you?” And he takes the whimper as a yes, “get accustomed to it, because this cunt shall be my breeding ground for as long as I see fit,”
And he finally pulls out only to sink back into your sweet depths, knocking the breath from your lungs. He starts slow, if only to spare you from breaking — because he knows so easily could. The wet squelch of your cunt rings in his ears, as he watches his thick cock sink in and out of your pussy again and again. 
 “Look at you, barely able to take my fingers and now you’re taking my cock so well,” he groans at the sight of your stretched pussy, as it took his cock over and over, molding its very shape to his length, as the slap of your skin against his became like a metronome, “such a perfect little whore, aren’t you?” and you moaned at his words, the sound of which made your cheeks burn with shame — “don’t worry, even if you aren’t, little one,” his fingers find your clit, rubbing and twisting until you come again, hard, your back arching as you do, fingernails nearly drawing blood from his arms as you do. 
He hums, as he only fucks you through your orgasm, even as you try to squirm away from him, it’s all in vain — because you’re his now, “Oi, brat, where are you going? You won’t like what I’ll do if you try to get away again — your only place now is under me,” and his hands find his way under your ass as he shifts you onto his lap, “or on this throne,” and he fucks into you, brutally, again and again, your arms clinging around his neck desperately, as a hand on the back of your head guides your lips to his, “tongue out,” he orders, and you do as he says, as the two of you meet in a sloppy kiss. 
And his hands shift to your hips, bruising as they help you ride him, meeting his thrusts with your own, until he’s finally hitting your cervix that has you squirting, drenching him in your release as your walls shudder around him. And his lips leave yours a moment, before they kiss down your jaw to your neck, his teeth sinking into the soft skin at the juncture of your neck and shoulder, drawing a yelp from your lips. 
He groans, a guttural noise from his chest, as he notches himself as deep as he can before cumming, his hot release spurting out and painting your walls, as he continues to fuck it deeper and deeper, the snaps of his hips finally slowing, as he pulls away from your neck, enjoying the blood that pools in the ridges of his bite mark. 
“Such a good little slut, aren’t you?” he hums, as he cups your lolling head, eyes thick with sleep and body heavy with exhaustion, you hear his quiet voice murmur, “I was only going to corrupt you for the sake of completing the summons you gave — I had no choice if I wanted to stay on this plane, but,” he hums, as pulls his cock from you with a gasp on your lips, before he has you flipped onto your stomach in a moment, sheathing his thick length back into you in one thrust, “I think I just might keep you, brat,” your eyes flutter shut, as his words fade from your consciousness, until a mean spank to your ass jolts you from your retreat into Hypnos’s arms. 
No — as you turned your head ever so slowly to get Sukuna’s face in your periphery — you only answered to one god now. 
The King of Curses’ lips curled in a cruel smirk, as he drew his hips back before slamming back in, “Let’s show the world truly how depraved you are, brat, hm? Together.” 
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✧ a/n: this is my first time writing sukuna so i hope i was able to do him justice. i was gonna do the whole two dick thing, but i was already like...this is complicated enough lmao.
✧ taglist: @pricetagofficial, @kentocalls, @angie-1306, @fayyyrieee, @dontshuugo, @zz-snow-zz, @viveriens, @sunflowmaryam, @eclipsephase, @merrymonkey, @leilannnnnnni, @spider-fan72, @temptationville, @gojos-princesa, @yell0wdreams, @achelliescomedown, @hiyori-ii, @bunninio, @grunge-mo0n, @diogodxlot, @littlecrybabys-world, @esuz, @unnamedflwr, @lemonpoppy-seed, @corkedscrewslocked, @bsaeshell, @methodofawesome, @rinvrin, @noveltywilbur, @ch0c0bsess, @sarcasticbitchsblog, @simpingnbitching, @aethyrite, @aitheria, @sweetpanda15, @daddytojji, @kindadolly, @kimnamjoonsbigtoe, @catsgomurp, @dhoranbolt, @kariatenoh, @hanxyy
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astraystayyh · 10 months
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Invisible Thread- two.
This is the second and final part of Invisible Thread. Here is the link to part one.
pairing: minho x reader. pre-established relationship. reader has she/her pronouns.
genre: fluff and domesticity. angst. healing. characters trying to become better. humans being humans.
cw: parent death. grief. talk about death. allusion to sex but no smut. suggestive at one tiny part but it's for the plot.
summary: In which Minho rewrites your entire relationship with love.
word count: 17k
a.n: this is, i hope, a gentle reminder to always be kind to yourself, and to the people surrounding you. this one is pretty personal because i see myself a lot in yn, but it was also challenging since i wrote about things i have never experienced either. so i hope you'll enjoy reading, and that the second part will live up to your expectations. it took me a long time to write this but it's okay!! English isn't my first language and this was also a reminder to be patient with myself. thank you. i love you all. truly. feedback is highly appreciated, as always <3
(here is a Spotify playlist i made for this second part, you can listen to it while reading if you'd like :))
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Love. How lucky yet cursed we are to ever experience it.
The fear attached to this singular emotion seems ridiculous. Because we aren't afraid of experiencing anger, sadness, or nervousness. They might overwhelm us, but we accept them, we recognize them as they are and then we cope with them. Whichever way we know best.
But when love comes knocking on our door, we stray away from it, we try to shape it into something else- much gentler on the soul, less devastating if it were ever not reciprocated.
So, we name it a crush, attachment, infatuation; anything but the cursed four-lettered word- anything but love. As though merely acknowledging it would morph it into a sharp-edged sword, eternally wedged within us, making our blood dribble away slowly and with it, our souls awash.
You are no exception. Love has terrified you for the better part of your life. There was a time when the word did slip easily from your mouth, back when you were a child and your view of the world was still naive, undisturbed by what you now know. You loved ice cream, you loved candy, you loved your teacher who braided your hair.
But then the once light word grew heavy on your tongue. Because love is what made you crave your mother's warmth, only to find coldness awaiting you. It is love that made you seek shelter elsewhere, in the fleeting opinions of the people surrounding you, hanging your entire worth on the words they uttered about you- ones they forgot within hours but you carried for years.
But this view of yours got dismantled, slowly, day by day. You’ve come to learn that it isn't love that had hurt you, it was rather the lack of it.
It cannot be love that wound when it is the emotion swimming in your eyes, whenever they rest on Minho. You didn't dare say it to him, to name the feeling out loud. You were petrified that if it was ever out in the open, then the love would materialize into something tangible, and the universe would snatch it away, as it has done before with everything you've ever wanted.
But although you didn't say it, you felt it, deep within each one of your atoms. It spilled from you like infinite ink, rewriting your entire relationship with love, dismissing every wrong notion you've once established about it.
Love cannot hurt because you love Minho, and you'd hurt yourself before ever hurting him.
But maybe none of you would have to hurt. Maybe for once, you'd both be okay. That's what you'd like to believe as Minho's shoulders brush against yours. You are sitting at your usual table at Limbo, a gray cat sprawled on top of your laps. Finals ended three weeks ago. Summer break is here, the one time you've been dreading since you came to college. Because everyone is going back to their homes, but you don't have one to head back to.
"What will you do this summer?" Minho suddenly asks, putting down his iced americano. You scratch the cat's ears beside you gently- Lilia you've decided to name her. "I don't really have plans."
"Would you like to go camping?"
"With you?"
"I mean, unless you have another secret boyfriend, then yes, with me."
"Shut up," you giggle, swatting his arm playfully. "I'd really like that," you smile softly at him, to which he nods. "Oh, and we still need to celebrate your win this term."
"Mm. Let's just call it a date this time," he grins, taking a spoonful of the salted caramel cheesecake and bringing it to your mouth. "I need to go visit my family for a few days, and then we can go," he adds.
Sudden guilt floods your being. He had a family he could go to. It was selfish for you to want him to stay, to strip him from this privilege you weren't granted with.
"I don't want you to cut your time short with them for me," you mumble, eyes fixated on Lilia soundly dozing off on his lap. It still astonished you how all animals seemed at ease in Minho's presence. As if they could sense his gentle soul, carefully hidden behind his sarcastic retorts, and cheeky smiles- one you were lucky enough to have been touched with.
"I'm not. I just really wanna go camping," he says nonchalantly, but his hand raises to squeeze your shoulder lightly.
"You should go with them."
"I have a two-person tent in mind, it won't fit the three of us. And I want to come back to you."
His words painted a sweet picture- of him returning home after a long journey, and you were that haven he sought to rest. The idea that he'd discover such solace in you when you struggled to find it within yourself, seemed unfathomable to you.
So, you bite your lower lip slightly, before squeezing his knee in gratitude. "Okay. I'll be waiting."
✹✹✹
Blue and orange flames surge higher under the wind. You watch, mesmerized as their light dances upon Minho's skin, painting him with glistening, golden hues. Every feature of his face is chiseled to perfection, as if a sculptor spent hours perfecting his face, down to the tiniest detail. He looked in his element here, setting up your tent and grilling the meat and now looking up at the sky, a chilled lemonade in his hand. You should go camping more often.
Minho places his empty can of cola on the ground, before tapping his lap. "Come here," he smiles and you oblige, rising from your chair and settling on his thighs. You tuck your knees to your chest, curling yourself entirely in his hold. His arms encircle your body, making sure you don't slip down. You close your eyes, as Minho gazes up at the night sky before you. You are comfortable and safe. It is that safety that you've craved for so long. To be held and not fear the threat of a knife behind your back.
It still surprised you, how you came to crave Minho's presence. But it went beyond just being near him; you felt as if you needed to touch him, as if verifying his existence, ensuring he wasn't an ephemeral specter slipping through your fingers like grains of sand in an hourglass. Yet, even more surprising was Minho's own yearning for you. His hands were always drawn to you, subtly grazing your face, resting on your palm, skimming your shoulders. Each tentative touch filled an echoing void within you, slowly diminishing it until all that remained were faint whispers of it.
Minho has cared for you, long before he understood you. He saw snippets and fragments of you, and he cared for the patched-up version he made up in his mind. And when you unlocked your heart for him, he only cherished it even more, silently molding his behavior so he wouldn't cross any of your boundaries.
He was hesitant at first, in holding your hands and kissing your lips. He still asks for permission, in that gentle voice of his, to touch you, in case you’re uncomfortable. Which you aren’t, because his hands on you are infused with care, fingertips dripping with unguarded attention and softness, for you.
You sigh contently, nuzzling your face in the crook of his neck as his arms tighten around you. Comfortable and safe.
"What's your favorite word?" he suddenly inquires and you giggle slightly. He often asks you these random questions, as though he wished to understand you in the most ordinary of ways and to care for you in each.
"I think it's the word soft. Whoever thought of the word really nailed it. Nothing else could have depicted softness like this one."
"The word does sound really pillowy, and gentle."
"See, I really love gentle too! Why is the word gentle so gentle? Does that make sense?" Laughter tings your question as he grins, his nose brushing lightly against yours.
"It does. They both remind me of you, actually."
"Really?"
"Mm. You're still so soft and gentle, despite it all... If they ever tell me there is one kind person left on this earth, I'd come looking for you."
Sudden tears flood your eyes as a shaky exhale leaves your lips. It felt rewarding, in a sense, to have someone acknowledge the strength it takes to be kind, in a world that had dealt you nothing but harshness.
"Can I tell you something?"
"Anything."
"Sometimes..." you pause, racking your brain for the best way to word this. "Sometimes it scares me how much I've come to care for you. How you make opening up not sound as daunting as before."
You grab his hand into yours, fidgeting with his fingers. The familiarity of their touch helps you calm down. "I'm not saying you'll hurt me. I just... I can't help this tiny voice in the back of my mind telling me to be cautious. It's gotten quieter, but it's still there."
"That's just your past selves trying to protect you," he smiles softly at you, brushing a strand of your hair behind your ear. "When I told you I'll be here, for as long as you'll have me, I meant it. Doubts and all."
"But I don't want to be closed off anymore," you admit. "It's very lonely that way."
"I know it is, love. But it's what you knew best back then, hm? You shouldn't feel bad about it, you did what you had to do to protect yourself. I'm just here to protect you too now."
"You think I can no longer do it myself?" you tease, your hand threading through his silky hair.
"Of course, you still can. But two shields are better than one. Also, this is exactly why I work out."
"Will your muscles protect me from my mind?" you giggle and he nods proudly. "Have you seen these?" he flexes his arms, before snorting, a bit shyly, eyes squinting closed. He's saying nonsense to make you laugh, and it's warming your heart beyond belief.
"I think these should just stay wrapped around me," you grin, guiding his arms around your back once again.
"No complaints," he smiles, as you settle against his chest. He places a soft kiss on the top of your head and you close your eyes. Safe and comfortable- Minho.
✹✹✹
Summer has been kind to you. Or maybe it was you who has been kind to summer, your laughter filling its air until it could do nothing but mirror your happiness.
Summer tasted like love with Minho by your side. In clementines he peeled for you, feeding you each slice with a soft smile on his face. In spontaneous bike rides at six am, to chase sunrises you've never witnessed before him. In numerous books he bought so you’d read them to him, his head on your lap, a tranquil expression coloring his face. And although the months have all been sweet, there are two days that you remember particularly.
You don't mark up the time with dates, but rather with the new feelings Minho bestowed upon you- the first time you wanted someone to stay, and they did.  
"Baby?" Minho’s hand brushes against your shoulder and you startle, turning around to look at him. "Are you okay? You zoned out."
"I’m fine," the rehearsed lie slips from your mouth, long before you could think about it. A ping of guilt swarms your heart, you’ve promised yourself that you’d tell Minho about your true feelings, even if he couldn’t help you with them.
"Are you sure? You haven’t said a word since I came over..." He quickly glances at his watch, "Three hours ago."
"I’m sorry," you mumble, your thoughts swarming your head once again. You felt horrible for wasting his time. He had better things to do than sit with you in silence.
"I’m not asking you to apologize," he says cautiously as if he’s aware he’s threading along a dangerous line. You stay silent and he shuts his eyes closed, hand reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I just want you to be honest."
"I am."
"Are you, really?"
"What do you want from me?" you ask a bit breathlessly. You don’t know what you are saying, but you can sense your walls building up, higher than you could ever reach them.
"You’re clearly not fine and I-"
"I am trying, okay? I’m trying, please." You plead; you’re unsure for what exactly. For him to stop prodding, because you don’t have answers for him, not yet. Not when you haven’t understood it yourself.
"I'm going for a walk," he says, abruptly standing. You stay frozen in your place, as he quickly slips his shoes on, before leaving your apartment. You’re trying and it isn’t enough for him.
You don’t move from your place as time slowly trickles by. The seconds morph into minutes and suddenly it’s been an hour and a half since Minho left. There is a tantalizing fear making you stay put as if you ever dare to move a limb, then the stillness would be shattered and Minho wouldn’t come back.
It’s hard to reroute your brain entirely- old habits creep up on you swiftly, and suddenly you’re pulled back into the old you, woven into the web of horrible thoughts stitching all around you. Change feels sweet, with Minho, it feels like hope and the taste of a new beginning, but it is scary and different. And the familiarity of what you were before him calls your name from time to time. It was horrible and lonely, but there were no surprises in it. You knew what to expect at all times.
You could’ve told him that you weren’t feeling good, that you didn’t feel like talking and Minho would’ve understood. Because this isn’t the first time this happened, and it happens to him too sometimes. So, he understands, more than anyone you know. But instead, you lied and denied and Minho left. And you can’t blame it on anyone but yourself.
You grab your phone, its sudden light burning your eyes. You blink repeatedly, as you dial Minho’s number. It rings and it rings, then it goes to voicemail. You try again, through blurry vision. It doesn’t even ring this time- straight to voicemail.
Minho’s left. He’s had enough. You can’t blame him.
Three swift knocks resound loudly on your door. You don’t remember reaching the doorknob, your body’s moving on autopilot, but you pull it open. Minho. Your hold on the handle tightens until your knuckles turn white. You can’t look at him, you don’t want to see his face as he leaves you.
"Why are you crying?" he whispers, dainty fingers gently wiping away your tears.
"Don’t go. Not you too," you manage to utter, and you hear Minho suck in a deep breath, before pulling you tightly to his chest.
"What are you talking about?" he says, as he buries your head in the crook of his neck. The familiar scent of his cologne washes over you- you’ve memorized its earthy notes by heart now, easily recognizable between a thousand smells.
"You've been away for two hours and I called and you- you didn’t pick up. I thought you wouldn’t come back."
"My phone died while I was outside and I lost track of time, and- please don’t cry. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry." He leans away, cupping your cheek delicately. "Im here, you see? Let’s go on a walk, hm?"
"You were just out," you mumble and he smiles at you. "I wanna go with you."
Minho takes off his jacket, draping it over your shoulders. He leads you outside, still clad in the bunny slippers he randomly bought you a week ago. His hand is warm in yours. His hand wouldn’t be warm if he was leaving you.
You walk in silence to the park near your home, and Minho sits you down on an empty bench. Your tears are dried up by now, cheeks cold from the night breeze; and his hand is still in yours.
"Chan didn’t leave our dorm for three days." He starts, clearing his throat. "He’s overworking himself, doesn’t even eat the food I make him. And I tried to tell him to take a break today. But I couldn’t… I couldn’t convince him. He’s probably still working on his music right now," he chuckles, but there is no trace of humor in the sound. "And then I come to you and you’re not okay. And I want to help but suddenly I’m pressuring you. And you’re trying, so hard and you’re doing so well and I’m pressuring you instead of helping. And I failed at being there for you both. What good I am if I’m not there for the people I lo- care about?"
"Don’t say that, please. You are good enough. More than enough," you cup his cheek, pressing his forehead on yours. "You’re always here. Don’t ever doubt that. I’m sure Chan appreciates everything you do for him."
"And you?" he asks, tone coated in such raw vulnerability that it knocks the breath out of you. At that moment, Minho was a plain hill, devoid of hidden nooks and crannies- nowhere for him to guard his emotions from you.
"Do you remember that night, when I asked you how I can help you feel yellow?" you ask after a while, and he nods, repetitive blinks rythming his silence. "I used to think that happiness was yellow, that sudden joy that drowns out the world around you. And I wanted to always feel yellow, the highest of highs. But that could only lead to another low, another extreme. I’ve since learned that true happiness is feeling peace when you lay in bed at night…  And for your heart to beat soundly from contentment."
"I remember feeling this way only once, a long time ago. I woke up to see the sunrise, but I was a bit late to it, so I missed the orange and the pink," you chuckle slightly, as the distant memory floods you. "But I saw the blue, this really soft blue, and as I looked at it a strange sense of serenity washed over me. As if, as long as I looked at that pastel blue, I’d be alright. And now…" You smile softly, your thumb delicately grazing his cheek, Now, I can just look at you. You are my blue."
Minho’s eyes glisten with unshed tears as he looks at you, mouth slightly hung agape. You giggle quietly, before patting his head gently. "Thank you for staying," you whisper, and a sudden smile breaks out on Minho’s face. It’s so radiant- as if every star in this galaxy was ground to fine dust and then sprinkled into it. You can’t admire it for long since Minho crashes his mouth on top of yours, drawing you in for a kiss that leaves you breathless afterward.
"You know I had a really nice dream yesterday," he finally whispers against your lips, a newfound lightness in his voice. "I think this is the first time where my reality is much sweeter."
✹✹✹
The first time you felt loved, truly.
It’s a couple of days into August when Chan tells you that he has signed up with a producing agency- it’s a huge step for him, one he’s been rambling about each time you met him for the past few months. So now you’re over at his and Minho’s dorm, attempting to bake a congratulatory cake for Chan. It was Minho’s idea, one he mumbled into your ear nonchalantly, as if he didn’t wake up really early to scout all the ingredients you might need.
"Why is baking so much harder than cooking?" Minho whines, burying his head dramatically in the crook of your neck. You giggle, patting his back in faux sympathy.
"So, you're admitting you're not good at everything?" you tease and he straightens up instantly, brows furrowed as he looks at you.
"I didn't say I'm not good at it. I said it's harder than cooking," he drawls out and you hum in reply, a teasing "sure, sure" escaping your mouth.
"Do you know how to crack an egg with one hand? That's the cue that you're a great baker."
"Why would I when I have two hands?" you chuckle and he smiles cheekily, raising his eyebrows at you. "Well, I can do it."
"Fine," you huff, grabbing an egg onto your hand. "Teach me?" you smile sweetly and he grins satisfied, "Of course."
"Here, you just need to crack the egg gently into the side of the bowl. And then lodge your finger inside, slowly pulling the shell apart. Like this," he demonstrates and you nod in understanding.
"Your turn," he smiles and you follow his instructions, tongue poking against your cheek in utmost concentration.  
"Min look! I did it" You grin widely, turning around to show him the egg now dropped into the bowl.
"You did! I’m proud of you," he smiles, placing a tender kiss on your temple. You pause, the egg’s shell still tightly clutched in your hand. You didn’t drop it into the bowl, and someone’s proud of you for it.
 It’s late into the night, and your stomach is aching from laughing for hours on end. Your plates of cake are on the ground, with only crumbs left on top of it. Minho invited two of Chan’s closest friends over- Felix and Han, so now you’re all playing rounds of Uno, and the poor freckled boy is losing each time.
"This isn’t fair," Felix whines, before stealing a bite of the leftover cake on the table. "This is really good by the way," he compliments and you giggle, turning around to point at Minho, only to find him already looking at you, a soft smile on his face.
"It’s all him," you say, and Chan gets his face impossibly close to your boyfriend’s, a teasing smile on his face. "You love me so much."
"I don’t. Get back," Minho pushes his face away, but you can tell he’s lying, from the fond smile threatening to spill over his mouth.
"Sure," Chan sing-songs, before turning to look at you. You wink at him and he ruffles your hair affectionately, as he always does when he wants to tease you. "Thank you for the cake, yn."
"You’re welcome," you grin as an unfamiliar warmth spread through your chest. Is this how it feels to have a family? People you care for and who care about you in return?
Minho notices the sudden bittersweet expression etched on your face, so he grabs your pinky in his hand, squeezing it slightly. You turn your palm around, before blindly intertwining your fingers with his- something you’ve gotten much better at lately.
"We’ll get going," Han announces when it’s nearly midnight, as he and Felix both get up from the floor. "Sure you don’t want to come to the party?" Chan asks, eyes trained on you and Minho.
"Yeah, we’ll stay the night."
You stand up as well, following Chan to the door and stopping him before he leaves. "You don’t mind me staying the night, right? It’s your dorm too, so I should ask."
"Of course not. You can come over whenever, even if Minho isn’t here. You don’t ever have to ask me, okay?"
"Okay, thank you, Chan," you beam at him, relief coursing through you at his words.
Soon enough, the dorm is silent, and it’s only you and Minho once again. You go to clean up but Minho pulls you by your hand, ushering you toward his bedroom. "Let's leave it to tomorrow," he says, and his voice sounds like warm candle wax dripping down on you. You can’t say no.
You find that he’s already prepared a pair of pajamas for you, spread out nicely on the bed- his grey shirt and a pair of shorts he has apparently overgrown.
"You'll find a box there, under the sink, it’s for you," he announces, as you walk into the bathroom to change. It’s filled with anything you might ever need, tissues and makeup removal and pads and medicine, and your cherry shampoo.
"When did you prepare this?" you ask as you open the door wide for him. He peeks his head inside, eyes softening when they take a glimpse at your figure - wearing his shirt, in his bathroom.
"A month ago, or so. Just in case you ever needed to stay the night." He's so thoughtful, you're starting to believe that the word was molded after him. "Is it enough? do you need something else?" he asks tentatively and you shake your head, squeezing his hand lightly. "It's perfect. Thank you."
"Of course. let's brush our teeth?" he smiles and you nod, grabbing the blue toothbrush he bought for you. He squeezes some toothpaste into it, and your eyes meet in the mirror. You can feel a blush creep up your face, to match the tip of his ears turning pink. It felt innocent to blush at the mere act of brushing your teeth together- at the domesticity of it, and the future hopes that lay within it.  
Minho washes his face with his cleanser and you do the same. He suddenly hoists you up the bathroom counter, before standing between your legs. his arms cage your body, as his doe brown eyes look up at you. "Do my skincare for me," he pouts and you giggle, diligently taking the moisturizer and applying it to his face.
You take your time, massaging it into his skin, rubbing soothing circles on his cheeks and the tender skin under his eye. His eyes close at your touch, body leaning forward and pressing onto your legs. You grab his lip balm, applying it evenly to his puckered lips, and then you kiss him. Softly, tenderly, hands going up and down his arms. His own find your waist, encircling it, thumbs skimming your sides.
You lean away, a giddy smile on your face. "Thank you for the lip balm," you say, before kissing the tip of his nose.
Minho's room smells like clean laundry and vanilla, courtesy of the candle he lit up. You've been here before, but this is your first time sleeping on his bed. He goes in first, before beckoning you in. You lay down on his silky pillow, your hair fanning all around you. Some strands of it go into your mouth, and you giggle faintly as you pull them away.
"Here," he says, leaning over your body and opening the drawer next to you. He takes out a hair tie, and a faint memory dances around in your mind- you tying up his hair at the convenience store near Limbo.
"You kept it?" you question incredulously, voice coming out in a faint whisper.
"I did," he says simply as if it's ridiculous for you to expect otherwise. "Can I tie it up for you?" he asks and you nod.
His fingers gather your hair, making sure no strands of it are escaping. They're magical, relieving every tension you have in your body. You feel him twisting the tie around, securing your hair in a low ponytail.
"All done." his voice is quiet, and so is the kiss he presses onto your shoulder.
You both lay down, facing each other. It's silent but it no longer scares you. Not when your fingers are grazing Minho's palm, tentatively, the way one dips their toes into the water to test its temperature. Your hands are dancing around one another, not yet holding each other, as if engaged in a dance only your body understands. His eyes are locked on yours- a brown shade so mesmerizing you wish you could paint the entire universe with it.
His gaze is always soft when it comes to you, pupils slightly dilated, eyelashes fluttering with each blink. They're so quick you almost can't catch them, as if he unconsciously wants the time in which he looks at you to last longer.
Minho's hand reaches behind you, before pulling the slipping comforter over your body. He tucks it in your sides, and warmth surrounds you everywhere; from him mainly. He's been so attentive to you tonight- a silent care you only truly appreciate when you've experienced a lack of it. It's as if he's pouring years' worth of missed love back into your life, and in return all the love you've held within, never bestowed upon anyone else, has found its sole destination in the man by your side.
Your hand circles his once again, and you watch intently the way your fingers graze one another, delicately, as if skimming on the edge of holding one another. You give in first, intertwining your fingers with Minho’s and squeezing them gently. They fit his perfectly, this is where they're supposed to be.
"I don't know what you’re doing to me," he whispers, his eyes locking onto yours once more. There is a newfound emotion gleaming in his gaze- incredulity, at the depth of his feelings.
"What do you mean?" you question, nuzzling closer to him. Your head finds its rest on his arm and he responds instantly by patting your hair.
"I want to keep buying toothbrushes for you." His voice is hushed and yet it resounds loudly within your being, as if shouted from a sky-high rooftop.
You exhale softly, curling your hand around the back of his neck, and pulling him down gently to your face. You press your lips on top of his, and they move slowly, deliberately, like a painter's careful strokes. Each touch of his lips against yours is there to make you feel something- things that he can't bring himself to say, so he shows.
You finally break apart, dazed from the raw emotions barging into your heart. You then lift your head slightly, planting a tender kiss on his forehead. Minho closes his eyes, as your lips linger in there far longer than necessary. They remain closed even after you pull away, and it is the look on his face that pushes you over the edge. The serenity painted across his features, but particularly, the trust. As if you could mold him however you want and he'd be grateful you ever touched him to begin with.
"I love you," you confess so suddenly, and the words feel foreign yet familiar as they stumble out of your lips. You expect a shift in the universe, a disastrous change as you verbalize this sentiment that's long haunted you. And yet, all that happens is Minho's eyes shimmering as they look at you. And you realize that you aren’t scared he'd twist the words and stab you with them. You know he'd cherish them, even if he didn't feel the same.
"I love you," he says back, a radiant smile lighting up his face, coloring each of his features in unadulterated happiness. Hearing those three words from him made your heart leap in your chest. There is so much more of what you feel that you wish to express. You’ve told him, but you want to show, to press your body to his so the feeling would emit from your heart to his own.
Your hand trails across his chest, and you feel his muscles constrict under your touch. "Can I?" you ask, gazes flickering between his eyes and the hem of his shirt. It's always about permission to you both- permission to touch, to feel, to kiss and the answer is always yes. Yes, yes, yes.
"Please," he whispers, and you tug his shirt quickly over his head. You are a goner after that when his hands caress your skin like you're delicate porcelain. He’s hovering over you, the candle's shadow dancing across his body. Your fingers are tracing every inch of his skin graced by the flickering light, which meant your hands were everywhere, and every touch of yours was mirrored by him. Every kiss he returned ten times fold, every gasp he drank in hungrily, only eliciting a louder one in return.
"Tell me if you’d like to stop," he smiled tenderly down at you, his nose nuzzling against yours. You never felt the need to. And as the night marched forward, you gradually grasped what the poets meant by ‘making love’. You felt as if you were truly making love, as if your every move conjured love in its purest essence between the two of you. The ebb and flow of your bodies served as a spell, heightening your emotions into a raw fervor. It was love that orchestrated your moves, binding you both in a cacophony of sweet sounds, meant for you only to hear.
Minho's gaze remained fixed on yours, as he uncovered parts of you you've never dared to show anyone. It only cemented every feeling you harbored towards him. And the safety. The safety of being in his arms. To be as bare as one could possibly be, and yet to still feel blanketed by his soft eyes on you. 
✹✹✹
Dainty snowflakes coat the outside world in a pristine white blanket. It’s a mesmerizing view, one you’ve grown to be grateful for these past few weeks since it signaled the return of winter, and with it, Minho’s birthday.
It's hard to resent snow when it welcomes the existence of the person you’ve fallen in love with.
The outside might be cold but you wouldn't know, not when you are nestled close to Minho, his legs thrown over your lap. You stare fondly at his figure, too engrossed in eating the birthday cake you’ve prepared for him- a vibrant green frosting and a picture of his three cats printed on top, just like he requested some time ago. You lean in a bit, wiping away a trace of whipped cream from the corner of his mouth. He smiles at you tenderly, angling his head to press a soft kiss on your thumb pad.
There is a growing lump in Minho's throat, but it doesn't suffocate him, since it's formed by your love for him- you remembered what he said about the birthday cake. He was joking, obviously. But the fact that you brought his ridiculous wish to reality warmed him beyond belief.
You rummage a bit in your place, hands tucked under the pillows, and then you take out a purple envelope. "Open it," you say as you place it on top of his lap. Minho puts his plate down, straightening out in his place before looking at you, a curious smile on his face.
"More surprises?" he asks, referring to the gift you’ve already given him- a pair of t-shirts, all with cats and silly scriptures imprinted on them.
"Mm," you hum, as Minho finally opens the envelope. He pauses, as his eyes rack furiously over the content of the letter. "What's this?" he asks dumbfounded, trying to fully grasp the meaning of what he's reading.
"Because of constellations, people often think that stars always live together in a cluster. But oftentimes, they are alone. Or... if they're lucky enough, they get to roam the universe with a partner. They call them a binary star. Like you and me." Emotion simmers beneath your words, and you continue, your voice a gentle undercurrent.
"It's comforting to know that other versions of us are going through this world side by side too. To know that long after we're gone, there would still be two stars discovering the universe together, orbiting around one another. A token of the love we lived." You lift your gaze to meet his, to find him staring in awe at you. You take a mental picture of this moment, adding it to the collection of the ones you already captured of him.
"Our love may not be revolutionary, we're only two humans out of billions that have adored before us. But our love is grand to me. I try..." you bite your lip, reaching out for his hand- it will guide you as you try to speak. "I always try to find the words to describe how much you mean to me, to tell you how much you do to me. I used to always hold my hand out, in the hopes that someone would grab it. But no one did, so I curled it into a tight fist. And I thought it'd stay this way, for the rest of my life. Until you came, and you unclenched my fingers gently, one at a time, and then you grabbed it into yours." Tears are trailing out of your eyes now, but you show no effort to wipe them. Happy tears shouldn't be swept away.
"Thank you for existing, my Minho," you smile softly at him, and he nods, tears brimming in his waterline, cheeks flushed pink at your words. "Thank you for kissing my finger pads and reminding me that there is still softness in this world, all embodied in you." You cradle his cheeks tenderly in your hands, trying your best to let your love seep through your fingertips into his soul.
"I think you've carved yourself into me, carved your name into my heart. Your roots intertwined with mine, and thanks to you, I managed to crack through the hard earth and bloom again. Thank you for making me feel the warm sun again. I was so so cold before you." You whisper the last part, like a sinner's confession, eager for it to be carried away, forgotten.
Minho brings your body to his, as he buries his face in your chest. You can feel slight tremors shaking his body, and you place soft kisses on his shoulder blade- soothing, calming. You are safe in my love for you, they spell out.
"I can't believe you’ve named stars after us," he mumbles against you, and your fingers thread through his hair gently, flattening out stubborn strands of it. "It's nothing," you smile and he shakes his head vehemently. "It's not- it's not nothing to be loved by you. It's everything to me."
He leans away, bringing your head down to press his lips into yours. It tastes sweet from the cake and salty from his tears. It tastes like healing. You both kiss for mere seconds and yet it feels like an eternity to you. As if your mind stretches out time with Minho, knowing how valuable it becomes with him. He presses his lips onto yours one last time, before exhaling softly, melting completely in your hold.
"As long as you're with me, I don't ever need to look at the sky," he whispers. "There are enough stars in your eyes for me."
✹✹✹
It’s late December and the fragrant aroma of hot chocolate fills your apartment. You’re preparing two cups of the cozy drink in your kitchen, while Minho watches you fondly, leaning casually on the doorway.
"Are you just gonna stare at me?" you giggle, turning around to toss him a sly smile.
"Do you need my help making hot chocolate?" he raises an eyebrow, a mischievous smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Yes, I wouldn't say no to a bit of emotional support."
"Ah, my bad," he playfully bows, walking over to you. Minho gently wraps his arms around your waist, leaning his chin on your shoulder. His bangs tickle the side of your face, akin to the brush of a butterfly’s wing, and a soothing sense of contentment washes over you as he holds you close.
Minho places a soft kiss on your shoulder blade, and the touch sends shivers along your spine. "This is for warming up the milk," he mumbles, adding another kiss to your neck, "and this for mixing in the hot chocolate powder," and a final one to your temple, "and this is for pouring it in cups."
"Why thank you," you giggle, turning around to hand him his cup. "Do you remember what episode we stopped at?"
"37," he replies instantly.
"I think you love this anime more than me," you pout jokingly. "I plead the fifth," he answers solemnly and you chuckle as you both make your way to the couch.
Merely one episode in and you can already tell that Minho is no longer focusing on the show. He’s absently swirling the drink in his hand, his gaze lost within his cup.
"What did the poor hot chocolate do to you?" you smile, a beacon of curiosity piercing through his daze. His head snaps up at the sound of your voice, turning around to look at you sheepishly. "Just zoned out."
"I noticed. What's on your mind?" you ask, lowering the volume of the TV to fully focus on him.
"There is an upcoming dance competition. It's at a regional scale and I'm just... wondering if I should participate."
"You should!" you fervently reply, "You're such a talented dancer. You deserve recognition for your hard work."
"I'll become very busy, though. It's already hard enough to manage this degree," he speaks softly as if he's not fully convinced of this excuse himself.
"I've never seen you as happy as you are when you're dancing. You'll handle it, and I'll be there for you too."
"I should do it, right?" he asks, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"You really should," you echo, your hand rubbing reassuringly across his arm.
"Okay. I will," he nods, and you beam at him, before pulling him in for a comforting hug.
"On second thought... Everyone will now see how talented my boyfriend is and they will fall in love with you," you playfully muse as you hold him close.
"But everyone's already in love with me," he says in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Mm, the heartthrob of campus."
"People throw themselves right and left at me, it's exhausting," he sighs, the giddy smile easily heard in his voice.
"Okay, now you're overdoing it," you giggle and he further buries his head in your neck, inhaling the scent of your perfume. "Don't worry," he mumbles quietly, "I'm only ever yours."
As weeks meld into months, your days become a whirlwind of preparation for the dance competition; where each participant is required to create a choreography from scratch, for a song of their choosing. You witness firsthand the immense effort Minho pours into this, just as he does with everything he undertakes. He spent hours upon hours in the university's dance studio, and you were often there with him. While he practiced, you sat in a corner, working on your laptop. He only paused to kiss the top of your head before diving back into his practice.
He chose a song you've never heard before, called Taste. It was mesmerizing to witness him become a vessel for the melody, like an instrument attuned perfectly to the emotions the song tried to convey. His body moved sensually, flowing like fluid water, perfectly controlled by him. Every beat in Taste was matched with a move of his, powerful enough to capture you, gentle enough not to overwhelm you, like the ebb and flow of the waves brushing against the shore.
The first two months slipped through the hourglass of time in a breeze. And although Minho grew busier, you still both managed to carve out time for quick dates. Strolls by the ocean and spontaneous trips to the cinema- outings that helped you recharge fully once again. But the third month coincided with your midterm exams, casting a heavier cloud over both of your lives.
Minho became overwhelmed, quickly, bearing the weight of his two worlds. He was smart, immensely so, he could handle his classes with ease, retaining knowledge faster than anyone you knew. But the day only had twenty-four hours in it, and he couldn't possibly do it all- finding time to practice, study and take care of himself. So, you tried to handle the last part, as best as you could anyways. Exam seasons always took a heavy toll on you- both physically and emotionally. It also didn't help that you went down with a strong flu for two weeks, making your energy levels plummet to zero.
It was only three days before the start of your exams when a soft knock resounded on your door. You opened it to find an exhausted Minho. He’s fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, beads of sweat glistening on his upper brow.
"I'm tired," he whispers, eyes looking absolutely devoid of emotion as they align with yours. You smile softly, grabbing his hand and pulling him inside, "I know."
You lead him to the bathroom and he follows silently. He's so compliant in your hands as if all the energy in his body was sucked out of him. "Bad day?" you ask, as you peel away his blue hoodie.
"Very." He says, voice barely above a whisper.
"It's okay. You're here now," you try to keep your voice just as quiet as you take off the rest of his clothes. You undress quickly as well, before pulling you both to the shower.
Minho rests his forehead on your back, as you check the water temperature. When it's warm enough to feel soothing on his skin, you pull him underneath the jet, and you both stand in there for a while. His head hung low, now buried in the crook of your neck; his breaths growing slower, more even.
"You did well, my Minho," you say, voice threatening to get lost in the sound of the water hitting the tiles, but Minho catches it. He tightens his hold on you in response.
Minho can feel you reaching over and grabbing something from the rack behind him. He recognizes the smell of your shampoo as you pour it in your hands, before lathering it gently on his hair. He almost starts crying right there and then, as your fingers skillfully massage his scalp. You are everywhere, pressed to his body and your hands in his hair, and your cherry scent that’s washing all over him. And the outside world suddenly seems so far away.
You rinse off the shampoo, before grabbing your conditioner and threading it through his hair, making sure that every strand is evenly covered. He shuts his eyes closed, as your hands move to his neck and start massaging it. He's so sore from all the dancing, tired from the studying he has to catch up on. But you’re making him feel okay now, as you unravel his nerves without uttering a word. How do you do it? He wants to ask; how do you always paint his world blue?
Your hands are trailing over his body now, not sensually, just easing the knots in his muscles. You're spreading body wash all over him, and his eyes are still closed, as he feels you place tender kisses on his soapy skin. ‘I love you', your voice reaches him like a faraway lullaby, 'you've been working so hard', 'I'm proud of you'; and your comforting words morph into hot tears lodged into his waterline, begging for an escape.
You finally turn the water off, before pulling him outside and wrapping a towel around his waist. He sits idly on the edge of the bed, as you quickly put on your clothes, before walking over to him. You help him wear his pajamas, the ones he's left in your apartment since he often stays the night. He can't move a limb, but you're doing it in his place- as if the life in you was blown into him, and he's only breathing thanks to you.
Once you’re both fully clothed, you sit behind Minho on the bed, legs on either side of his body. You grab a towel you warmed in advance and begin to gently dry his hair with it, patting each strand with care. As soon as you're done, Minho turns around, nestling his head against your stomach. You let him, hands rubbing soothing circles on his back.
"I already told you, but I'm very proud of you," you say, head lowered so he'd be able to hear you. "I'm so amazed by your strength and hard work. You inspire me a lot, Min. Just keep on going, and if you need a break, you can rest by my side, okay?" You place a gentle kiss on the top of his head.
"I love you," you add softly, and Minho tightens his hold on you. And then he crumbles. Completely.
He falls apart in your arms, painful sobs racking through his body. You panic, as the unfamiliar sounds knock your breath away. You've seen Minho cry before, single tears that managed to escape from his eyes, trailing on his cheeks. But you've never seen him so shattered, so consumed by his pain that he could no longer contain it. You’re caught in his storm, as uncharted waves of his hurt crash against your shores. Has he been hurting all along? Were you this oblivious to the pain brewing inside him?
Your body’s shaking as you press your chest to his back, your arms cocooning his curled-up figure. You try your best to shield him; you don't know from what exactly, but you know it has to go through you first to get to him again.
"I'm so- sorry you have to see me this way," he hiccups, his words digging their claws deeper into your chest.
"Don't say that, baby, please. It's okay, you can cry as much as you want. I'm here."
"I'm sorry," he repeats, voice quivering, and you can feel your heart slowly cracking, hurting in depths you haven't thought existed before.
"Minho, I don't- I don't only love you when you're happy. I love you when you're angry and frustrated and when you're sad. You deserve kindness and you deserve to be kind to yourself because you are still Minho. My Minho. No matter what emotion you're feeling."
"Please stay with me," he pleads softly, and you bite your lower lip, as traitorous tears escape your eyes and land on his shirt. "Where would I go, love? You're my home. I'm here."  
✹✹✹
Selfish. Selfish. Selfish. 
The thought that's been reverberating within your mind, echoing since the moment Minho crumbled in your embrace.
Selfish. 
Of course you are, since you remained oblivious to his own struggles as he slowly chipped away, until he shattered unexpectedly. Akin to a seemingly sturdy building, struck by a minor vibration and suddenly reduced to ruins.
Selfish. 
Each time you sought solace in him, you failed to realize that he was stripping away his layers to shelter you. You took and took from him, each time you called, each time he came over to brush away your tears. Your endless bad days didn't leave room for his struggles, unperceived amidst your turmoil.
Selfish and horrible. You weren't made to be loved. 
Minho is sleeping right next to you. He looks peaceful, endearing bunny-like teeth peeking through slightly parted lips. He's undisturbed, like a placid river, until someone selfishly decides to skip some stones in it- you. 
His chest rises and falls, erasing all remnants of his previous breakdown, like a scripture on sand washed away by the waves. You could almost forget it ever happened if it wasn't for the persistent echoes of his sobs. Raw pain had seeped through him, yet it could have been different. If you had asked more, he might have unraveled slowly. He would have talked and he would've never had to explode. 
Selfish and guilty. There's a bitter taste in your mouth. It doesn't go away when you hastily gulp down water.
You'll keep your problems to yourself. There is enough for him to bear already. By sharing your load, you aren't diminishing it, only adding more to his. 
You can't let your mother be right. Not about this. Not when it comes to Minho. You can't ruin his life too. 
✹✹✹
You are being distant. 
Minho notices it straight away when you stop coming over to his dorm. When you find excuses to not come to Limbo anymore, accounting it for the exams you're both taking. But he knows it's just excuses. You are straying away from him. Your light that shone on him every day suddenly turned into a distant lighthouse beam. 
And it's his fault. 
He's embarrassed by his outburst. How he broke down right in front of you. How he clung to your arms, counting on your words and touch to stitch him back together. How he wasn't enough for himself, but you were. 
Guilt floods his being, making you sadder when you're already dealing with so much. He recounts your tears dripping into his hair, as you hugged him tightly to your body. He made you cry; he shouldn't have broken down. That's why you're staying away. He can't blame you. 
He misses you. He saw you this morning and yet he misses you. Because you weren't there with him, you were somewhere else, in a faraway place in your mind. What if he can't reach you anymore? He wasn't sure what to do with himself without you. 
It's 11 pm, and he's knocking softly on your door. You open it and he smiles tightly. You smile back. 
He hovers around the entrance of your apartment, hands tightly clasped behind his back. You unclasp them, interlocking your fingers with his and leading him to your couch. You are warm, he missed you. You are here and he misses you. 
You both sit down, and you're looking at him curiously. His eyes fall to your lips, pillowy and rosy and he can't help pressing his mouth onto yours. It'll give him the courage to speak. 
"I'm sorry," he whispers against your lips and you lean away, confusion clearly written across your features. 
"For crying the other day," he clarifies. "I've made you uncomfortable and you feel like you have to be cautious around me, and I'm sorry, I won't do it again." 
"What are you saying? You didn't- you never..." you suck in a deep breath, inching closer to him.  "Minho, don't ever apologize for that. please. You should never apologize for being human."
"But you are being distant," he says in a small voice, avoiding your eyes. 
"Minho, I..." you bring your hand to his cheek, locking your gaze with his. "It's not what you think. I promise."
"Then what is it?"
You bite your lip, sighing loudly before speaking again. "You sobbed. And I had no idea you were hurting that much inside. I am so reclined on myself that I didn't notice. And I tried to distance myself so I'd sort my thoughts out. So, I could be there for you, fully. You're always here for me, and I feel... As if I failed you." 
It's now his turn to cup your cheek, his thumbs gently brushing against your skin. 
"I felt so loved by you that day. That's why I cried. because I've never felt that way before," he's quick to explain. "Yes, I was stressed and overwhelmed but it's not your fault. You were there for me when I needed you most. You didn't fail me; how could you think that?" 
"Because it should've never gotten that bad. If I had noticed before, then I would've helped you and it wouldn't have gotten that bad for you. You don't deserve to feel sad, not when you’re... You. Someone like you shouldn't feel sad." 
"Didn't you say we're humans? Isn't that what humans do? They fall down and they get up, I can't always be fine. It's not your fault." 
"Minho you don't understand... How much more of yourself can you give to me, without hurting yourself in return?" You're so sure of these words you're uttering, as if you've drilled them into your mind by now. You couldn't be more wrong. 
Minho blinks repeatedly, trying to gather the words in his mind properly. You weren't distancing yourself from him, because he had hurt you. But rather, so you wouldn't hurt him anymore. So, you'd be there for him more. A sudden relief floods his being. He isn't losing you. 
Minho can't help the chuckle that escapes his mouth. He shakes his head slightly as he brings you to his chest. You're so warm as you wrap your arms around his waist. He still misses you but you're here, you aren't going anywhere. 
"You memorized my coffee order. And my favorite pudding. You always bring me one when you come over. When you find a new flavor, I haven't tried, you always buy it for me. You look at me so excitedly when I try it. As if me finding a new favorite pudding brings your personal joy," he's talking softly, slowly, in the hopes that you'd understand what he means. 
"You love spicy food, but you always cook without it when I'm with you. Because I can't handle it as well as you. You put snacks and water in my bag when I have dance practice, and then you come to check on me, even when you're busy too. You bought me an umbrella, and you placed it near the entrance of my dorm, so I wouldn't forget it. You give me the opened chopsticks package first, and you blow on my food so it wouldn't burn my tongue. And you let me pick the movie, every time. You let me pick it," he places a soft kiss on your shoulder, tightening his hold on you. 
"You brush my hair away from my eyes when you think I'm asleep. And you make sure the blanket covers my body entirely, even if it means it doesn't cover you. I've never had that. Never had someone care for me this gently. Even when I'm not awake and I can't give them anything in return." 
He leans back, smiling softly at you. There is a new palpable emotion in the air- love, in its most unconditional form. It smells fragrant and sweet- like you and him. 
"I notice everything you do for me, every way in which you love me. You're here for me in more ways than you can ever imagine. And I love you. Please don't stray away from me. Promise me," he pouts slightly, nudging his pinky toward your face. You giggle in defeat, before wrapping your pinky with his. 
"Didn't you think pinky promises were silly?" 
"Nothing you like is silly."
"Not even that cheesy drama I watch?" 
"Okay. Maybe that one is. But it makes you laugh," he trails off. "If it makes you laugh then I like it too." 
"You'll talk to me more, right? About whatever's bothering you? When you're not feeling black yet?" 
"I will, I promise. You too, right?"
"Mm. I will too." 
"Good," he smiles, pecking your cheek softly. "I've missed you. And I don't mind feeling all the colors of the rainbow, as long as you're near me."
✹✹✹
The voices of your friends singing you happy birthday reaches you like the distant chirping of birds, fading away in the back of your mind with each passing second. You know that Mina is smiling at you, her head resting on Jeongin’s shoulders. And that Chan, Han and Felix are all clapping excitedly, their voices blending together in a somewhat harmonious melody. But you can’t seem to focus on any of it. Your eyes are set on Minho, who’s walking over to you, a vibrant pink cake in his hand. The surface of it is covered in candy- marshmallows and macaroons, and a dozen of lit candles. Their light flickers on Minho’s face, casting an ethereal glow on him.
And as your widened eyes meet his, he knows that it all just clicked in place for you.
Four months ago.
"What did you like to do, when you were younger?"
You stay quiet for a few moments, mulling over Minho’s question. The waves crash softly at your feet, the sound of them and Minho’s arms around you serving as a perfect cover to thread through your childhood once again.
"I had a bunny plushie. My aunt gave it to me one day when her daughter didn't want it anymore. She was going to throw it out, but I took care of it. We took care of each other, in a way. I used to stay alone at home a lot, and Caramelo would keep me company."
"Caramelo?" he giggles and you pinch his arm playfully. "I was six when I named it, sue me."
"Mm, and where is Caramelo now?"
"I left it in the house. I packed in such a hurry and it didn't fit in my suitcase. But I really wanted to bring it," you smile sadly and Minho can sense a shift in your tone, so he trails his hands across your arms gently, pulling you even closer to his chest.
"What else did you like?" he asks, placing a kiss under the shell of your ear.
"Playing in the playground, there was one really near home. I'd sneak out and go play in the swing, but there was no one to push me higher there," you chuckle slightly, burying yourself further in Minho's embrace. 
"Oh, but I met a girl there when I was eleven, Lydia, I think. She was our neighbor, and she invited me to my first ever birthday party. Her parents prepared this huge cake for her, it was all pink with so much candy on top. I kept dreaming about having a similar one for my birthday. We also painted each other's nails and put on facemasks, and then we watched a movie. It was really fun," you recall, a wave of nostalgia washing over you. You were really shy and didn't talk to the other girls present, staying away in a corner. But Lydia grabbed your hand and pulled you next to her. She didn't let go during the entire movie.
You hoped she was okay, wherever she might be now.
"And... my mom took me one day to a hill near our home. We sat on a bench there, overlooking the city's lights. We didn't talk but she braided my hair since it kept getting in my mouth. That's my favorite memory with her."
Your voice is carried away with the wind, drowned in the waves. You hoped that one day your childhood memories will come back to you, like the sea foam dissolving at your feet. Gentle, incapable of hurting you anymore. 
"You know what I really want now? A big cake for my birthday too," Minho suddenly whines and you giggle, turning around to look at him.
"Want me to bake it for you?" you tease and he nods, cradling your face between his cold hands. They warm up once they rest on your cheeks.
"Yes. I want the cats’ pictures printed on it, and..." he trails off, looking up at the sky. "I want it to be green.”
"Green?" you chuckle. "Isn't that a bit weird for a cake?"
"Are you questioning my vision?" he wiggles his brows at you, his hands coming to your sides.
"I am," you laugh, as he starts to tickle you, unwaveringly. You fall to the sand, and he's on top of you, hands roaming your body as loud laughter erupts from you.
Minho’s eyes soften as he gazes at your laughing figure, but he doesn't stop, not until you tap his arm multiple times, happy tears trailing from your eyes.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Green is perfect, you are a genius!"
"Why thank you," he smiles, before leaning down and kissing your tears away. You shiver slightly, from the cold and the feel of his soft lips on your skin. He notices.
"Come on," he outstretches his hand and you grab it, standing up and dusting your pants. Minho squats slightly in front of you, and you giggle before climbing on top of his back.
"Don't you ever wonder who was the person who invented tickling? They were just sitting down and then they touched someone and they started laughing,” he suddenly muses.
"Right! And then they decided this was something they should keep on doing, and it stuck around for centuries."
"I think it's really cute. It says I love the sound of your laugh so much that I will sit there and tickle you just to hear it."
"And you just tickled me," you trail out. "I know," he mumbles, the tips of his ears suddenly turning pink.
"I like your laugh too, Minho."
"Just like?" He teases, in a futile attempt to diffuse his shyness. 
"I love it. I love it so much I could pay my entire life savings just to keep on hearing it again."
"Stop," he whines and you giggle, swinging your dangling feet in the air.
"Have you ever heard your laugh? No other melody can compare. At this point, musicians should just retire."
"You're insufferable," he finally laughs and you sigh, melting into his back.
"And you like me."
"And I love you."
Present time
The realization dawns on you like a floodgate- Minho is recreating your happiest childhood memories.
From the pink cake of your dreams. To the obnoxiously glittery nail polish he brought home three days ago, spontaneously, you foolishly assumed. He insisted on having a pampering night, where you both applied face masks to one another, bunny headbands tucking your hair out of your face. You giggled as he painted your nails with the utmost concentration, and then begged you to paint his in return. He didn't explain why he wanted pink nails suddenly, you should've known. 
You should've known when he suddenly knocked on your door at midnight, taking your sleepy figure to the playground near your apartment. "Why are you here so late?" you questioned, rubbing your eyes tiredly. 
"We are sneaking out," he whispered in your ear, and you didn't question his flawed logic- who were you sneaking out from exactly? But all was forgotten as he pushed you in the swing, fueled by your growing high-pitched giggles. "Higher?" he shouted and you laughed loudly, the sound of it echoing around the park. "Yes, higher!" Until you felt as if you were close enough to touching the stars. 
You should've known. 
Minho places the cake on the table, his warm hand finding your lower back. He rubs it soothingly, as you mouth a heartfelt "thank you" to him, hot tears prickling at the corner of your eyes. You couldn't speak, afraid of bursting into sobs in front of all your friends. He understands what you're referring to.
It's far later into the night when your friends finally leave Minho's dorm. You've all cleaned up the place, soft music emitting from the speakers. You didn't need songs to fill the silence, the conversations flowing easily between you all.
You gather all the gifts you've received and take them to Minho's room- a pair of shoes you've been raving about from Mina and Jeongin, and new headphones from Chan, Han, and Felix, since your old ones stopped working not too long ago.
"You're okay?" Minho asks, pressing a chaste kiss to the top of your head.
"Better than ever," you beam at him, cupping Minho's neck and meeting his lips in a tender kiss. 
"I'm still not done," he smiles secretly, brushing his lips against yours once more, before pulling away. You watch, curious as he heads towards his closet and takes something out of it. Your eyes grow wide as they settle on the gift in his hands. You can feel your lip quivering as you walk hastily over to him. 
"Is this...?" you ask incredulously and he nods, a happy smile on his face. "Your Caramelo."
"How... When?" you stammer, as happy tears blur your vision, "How did you do it?"
"I have my ways," he smiles assuredly at you. "Do you like it? I'm sorry if I overstepped by bringing it to you," he adds softly, a hint of vulnerability in his words.
"No, Minho, this is the sweetest, most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me. I can't believe it- I... I don't even know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything," he smiles, his hand rubbing your arm affectionately. "I figured this plushie should be in a loving home, with you. It helped you back then and now you're strong enough to help it in return."
There are overwhelming emotions that we can't quite express with words- like sorrow, sadness, or in your case, happiness. That's why touch was invented, you believe. As you pull Minho for a bone-crushing hug, Caramelo snug between your chests, you hope that he can feel everything you failed to express through words. That your soul will speak to him in a way your mouth couldn’t. 
"When you told me there is a friend of yours, who lived in my town. There was no friend, right?" you mumble into his neck.
"No, I just wanted to know your address," he whispers, arms tightening around your waist.
"Did you meet my mom?"
"Yes. She's the one who gave it to me."
"Did she tell you anything... about me?" you ask cautiously.
Minho remembers snippets of his conversation with your mother- the indifference she showed towards you, as if it wasn't her daughter, her flesh and blood that she discarded away so easily. 
"Nothing of importance. I promise you."
"Thank you," you whisper, voice caught up in your throat, bound by the ropes of your overflowing emotions. "Thank you for healing me."
Sleep didn’t come easily to you that night, and as Minho snored quietly next to you, you untangled your limbs from his, before heading to the kitchen to retrieve a glass of water. 
You find that the lights are already on and that Chan is working on his laptop, eyebrows furrowed as he gazed at his screen.
"Hey," you greet softly, careful not to startle him. 
"Our birthday girl," Chan grins and you chuckle quietly, before settling next to him on the couch. 
"What are you working on?" you question, taking in the different settings displayed on his screen.
"Just a new song," he shrugs sheepishly, "I'm almost done with it." 
"That's nice," you mumble, tucking your knees into your chest. 
"I suppose Minho already gave you your gift," Chan speaks softly and you startle, turning around to look at him. 
"He didn't tell me what it is, don't worry. But I assume he pretended as if it was no big deal, that he got it." 
You nod silently, fearing that speaking would stop Chan from talking. 
"I told him that he should just walk up to your house, present himself, and then ask your mom if he can take some of your stuff for you. But he said it’s too risky, and there is a chance she might say no. So, you know what he did?" Chan chuckles softly, and you feel the breath slowly escape your chest. "He spent weeks researching all the moving companies that work in your town. And then he bought us uniforms that looked like one of theirs. With the name tags and all. We rented a truck and we drove there, so we’d pretend as if we were moving the rest of your belongings. Your mom didn't question it thankfully, and I've never seen Minho as relieved as when he climbed back into the truck."
An overwhelming need to cry threatens to consume you, and you bite your lip harshly to stop it from taking over. Not in front of Chan.
"For him to go these lengths for you, means that he loves you a lot. But also, that he feels really loved by you. So, thank you, for loving Minho. I'm very happy you guys are together now." Chan smiles softly at you, before getting up and ruffling your hair slightly. 
You quickly go back to Minho's room, before bringing his body tightly to yours. And as soon as you touch him, he mumbles your name in his sleep before throwing an arm over your waist.
"Thank you for loving me. I love you so much too," you whisper into his back, as your tears dampen his shirt. You wished that the words would reach him in his dreams, making them sweeter for him.
You didn't make a wish that day, as you blew the candles, foolishly believing that everything you've ever wanted was already around you. But you should've.
Maybe that would've stopped the anguish to come.
✹✹✹
There is a bad feeling nudged into the space between your ribs. You rub a soothing palm across your chest, in the hopes that it will calm your spiking anxiety. But you only feel your heart growing more erratic in your chest, and the sound of it only makes you panic ten times fold.
You’ve just woken up. You can hear the water running in the shower. Minho has stayed over since you both studied late into the night. You listen intently, a small breath of relief escaping your mouth when the water turns off. He’s okay.
You drag a hand tiredly across your face, before shaking your head left and right. You’ll have a good day, you’ll open the blinds and the golden sun will stream through your windows, and you’ll feel okay.
You don’t.
The dread lingers in your being throughout the day, making the simple act of walking weigh heavily on your bones. You try to distract yourself, by focusing on your classes and listening to Mina’s rants about her latest date with Jeongin. But to no prevail. So, you surrender to that feeling, today’s a bad day, but tomorrow doesn’t have to be. You’ll make sure of it.
It’s five pm when you finally walk up the stairs of your apartment. Minho went to grab you both something to eat since you’ll be studying again tonight. You wish he’d come home quickly, so you wouldn’t attach your anxiety to him. As long as you see him, then he’s okay.
You open the door, pausing by the front entrance. Something in you tells you to flee, to turn back, and never set foot inside. You don’t listen to it. If you paid attention to everything your mind tells you then you’d never truly live.
You quickly change out of your clothes, before turning on the TV. You mindlessly scroll through the show suggestions, and settle on one you haven’t seen before. You turn up the volume, making sure that the voices of the characters would drown the ones in your mind.
But then, your phone rings. It vibrates from the coffee table, the name of your aunt illuminating your screen. She calls you from time to time, but why is she doing it today? You don’t want to answer, not when there is a bulge in your throat suffocating you.
You watch numbly as the phone call seizes. You breathe out a shaky exhale. You’ll call her tomorrow.
The phone rings again.
You bite your lip harshly, hands shaking as you bring the device to your ear. You’re overreacting, you tell yourself. Nothing’s wrong. Minho will be home soon.
"What’s going on?" you ask immediately, the question slipping out of your mouth before you even thought about it.
Your aunt sighs softly, and then her voice floods your being. It sounds hoarse like she’s been crying. "Look, I…" another sigh, and you imagine her fidgeting with the hem of her dress. She always wore dresses. All seasons mingled. With pretty flowers sewed into them and sometimes even-
"Your mother died in a car accident."
Silence. You can't hear anything after those words are uttered. You know that your TV is still playing in the background and that your aunt is still talking on the phone. But it's completely silent. For five seconds. Where the world stills, as if to allow you a brief moment to process what you just heard.
Your mom. Gone.
But then, sounds crash upon you like a relentless wave. The shatter of the characters in the background, the ticking of your clock, the dull buzz of the refrigerator. And your aunt, she's still talking, telling you about the funeral and when it will be held and you can't believe what you are hearing.
It's all too overwhelming, everything surrounding you is too much to bear so you simply hang up.
You put your phone down on the table. And then you turn it off. That's one sound dealt with.
You turn the TV off and dismantle the clock from your wall so it wouldn't tick anymore. You then unplug your refrigerator. Has its buzzing always been this loud? You wonder. But it doesn’t matter anymore. Now it’s silent. It's what you crave.
Minho will come home soon. You should make him something to eat. You think to yourself. A fruit salad. It's warm outside and the fruits are refreshing.
So, you grab a knife from your drawer, and then you start peeling an orange. Then an apple. It's rugged, and half the fruit is wasted with the peel. You've never really known how to peel the skin properly. So, you put the knife down. The blade is slightly red, you notice. There is blood oozing from your finger. You cut yourself. But it doesn't hurt, so you leave it be.
Light floods your apartment, a stark contrast to the shadows within you. But you want it to be dark, and silent. You already took care of that last part. So, you pull down all the blinds and turn off the lights one by one. Now it's pitch black. Now it's quiet.
You sit on the floor, running your hand across the tiles. You count them, one, two, three. When is Minho coming home?
The floor is cold underneath you, the sensation heightened since your every other sense is muffled. You can't see, you can't hear, but you can still touch. You wished you couldn't anymore. The smallest sensation overstimulates you.
The front door unlocks, but you don't hear someone coming in. You imagine Minho standing by the door, looking around in the dark. It's okay, he'll find you. He always does.
"Honey?" he calls out and you reply from the living room, "I’m here."
You don't have to yell, it's quiet enough for your voice to be carried around your home with ease.
Minho has his flashlight on, you notice. He's looking for you and he finally spots you on the ground. You move a strand of your hair behind your ear, and you feel something warm smear across your cheek. You forgot about your cut- a reminder of the pain lurking beneath the surface, waiting patiently to consume you.
"Baby?" His tone is soft and careful, and you can see the worry brewing in his brown eyes. Why was he worried? You're okay. Nothing happened.
"I made you a fruit salad. It's in the kitchen. Can you please turn off the light?"
"Okay." His voice is calm, and you don't mind him talking. You could bear it. He was different after all, to you.
He’s pulled into the abyss with you, as he sits down next to your rigid figure. His hand rests on top of your pinkie, but you recoil from it. Not because you hate it, but his hand is warm and the floor beneath you is cold. That's a contrasting sensation. You don't want that. You just want a stillness, to feel like a straight line. Straight lines are always sure of themselves, of where they're going. You were tired of feeling like a bent one at the hands of the universe.
"What happened, baby?"
"Nothing."
"Okay. What did you do when I left, hm?"
"Nothing much. I was watching this new show, I think you’ll like it. And then my aunt called. She told me my mom died in a car accident. And then I went to the kitchen and I cut up some fruits. But I didn't know how to peel them. Can you believe it?" you giggle, your voice suddenly high-pitched. "I mean who- who doesn’t know how to peel the skin of an apple? Isn't that such a basic skill?" You're laughing now, you don't know what's funny, but you're laughing.
"And I cut my finger, but I didn't feel anything, Minho. I don't- I don't feel anything," you're still giggling, hot tears trailing down your cheeks rapidly. "My mother died and I don't feel anything. Why- why can't I feel anything? Minho, I can't- I can't-" You're hyperventilating, words straining to come out of your mouth. The breath is knocked out of you and white spots cloud your vision, like the stars that dance around Minho’s eyes. They seem kind enough so you don't fight them. You want to welcome them in the hopes that they'd take this unbearable weight off of you.
"Yn, yn, breathe for me, baby. Listen to my voice," Minho calls out and it's as if you're pulled in two opposing directions. He sounds scared, so you try to do as he says. You don’t want him to worry about you.
"You're doing so well, breathe with me, okay? Breathe in... Breathe out... Perfect, let's do it again," he instructs and you try your best to follow suit. You can feel yourself shaking, your hands moving as if they have a mind of their own. You are cold, too cold, and you can't help but wonder if it's how your mother is feeling right now too.
The thought seems to drive you over the edge and you let out a guttural sob. It racks from within you, reverberating from the depths of your splitting soul. It's a pain unlike any you've ever felt. You try to find something to compare it to, a sensation you imagine must hurt the same. But you can't find any. You can't find a metaphor to make the pain more bearable.  
So instead, you let out a heart-wrenching scream, slicing through the silence you tried desperately to maintain. Your throat aches from the strain on your vocal cords but you pay it no mind, not when there is a pain bursting open every seam of yours, undoing every thread you so carefully stitched back into your soul.   
Amidst your pitch-black apartment, you see yourself quivering in the corner, head buried in your hands. And then it’s thirteen years old you sitting there, the one who wished for something so horrible to happen on the birthday she spent alone, yet again. Your wish came true, you want to tell her. You tried to take it back, but it came true.
Minho gathers you in his arms, and you clung to him. You know he's trying to wrap you up the best he can, his arms around your back and his legs pressed on you. He's trying his best to stop you from falling apart. From breaking beyond the point of no return. And you think to yourself that you've passed it. You've passed it and he's clinging helplessly into your remains now.
✹✹✹
The funeral went by in a blur, its details elusive in your memory. At times it felt like a fever dream, a mirage conjured by your mind. And sometimes you tried to believe it, to lull yourself into a comfortable thought. Where you don't talk with your mom and she doesn't know how you are doing, but she's still alive. On the other side of the country. She's still breathing.
But this fleeting comfort is quickly shattered. The thought barely lingers, like a whisper in the wind, never staying long enough for you to finally draw in a full breath. Because the grief clings onto your skin, and you carry it with you everywhere, like a stench that won’t quite leave you. You wonder if other people can smell it on you too.
Minho hasn't left your side, once. He's always next to you. His hands are resting on your back or brushing your cheek tenderly. They are always near. And you hold them tightly. You practically memorized the lines etched on his palm. It's all you stared at during the funeral.
It felt wrong and unjust to be somewhere where everybody knew your mother, except for you. You felt as if you were left out, robbed of happy memories to mourn as well. So, you remained silent, gaze fixed intently on Minho's palm. And he didn't mind; he never does when it comes to you.
He's gentle with you, he's always been, but he's particularly gentle with you these weeks. The countless times he's cared for you blur together- his soapy hands skimming your body, massaging the shampoo into your hair when your limbs felt too heavy to move; the meals he cooked for you, making sure that each bite was cool enough before feeding it to you. How he always told you he was proud of you, at random times throughout your days. ‘What for?’ you wanted to scream, ‘I'm barely alive as it is’. "For breathing," he'd add as if he heard the thoughts swirling in your mind. "For being here. For waking up today." 
He did your laundry and he folded your clothes. Sometimes he even picked your outfits and dressed you in the morning. Leaving pecks all over your face after each worn clothing. You wanted to smile, to tell him how much you loved him. How his love felt like a sun ray peeking through the cell hole of a prisoner. But you couldn't speak. So, you hoped he knew.
He unburdened you of all these mundane tasks, so you'd focus on other ones. Like attending classes and taking notes and writing essays. Because as much as you wished for it, the world did not pause for your sorrow. In the grand tapestry of existence, where did you stand exactly? You were nothing but a mere speck of light. Your emotions, as profound as they were to you, did not hold the power to halt the world's march, to compel universal mourning.
But Minho made your world stop, just like he promised, almost a year and a half ago. When you finally found your voice, he'd listen to you talk, your head on his lap, his fingers weaving through your hair gently.
"I feel like I’m mourning two people. The person I knew and the person she could have been," you told him one night and he hummed, listening intently to you.
"The what-ifs are killing me Minho. It feels like I’m suffocating each time I think of what could have been. She left so suddenly. But she should've stayed. Maybe our relationship would've gotten better."
"Maybe… or maybe not, you can never truly know. And it’s not your job to find the answers to the questions she left behind. Maybe she didn’t even have them herself."
You appreciated how his hand never left yours, as you journeyed through seas of uncharted emotions. The anger- that came with her leaving so abruptly, leaving you behind with a heavy baggage to dissect. The sadness- from losing the woman who will always be part of you. Because we don't kill our hopeful past selves, we simply bury them and they remain just under the surface of our souls, a testament to everything we've been through.
The nostalgia- that creeps in from time to time, conjuring rose-tinted memories in your head. Maybe her voice was softer here. She did ask about your day one time. Wasn't that her sitting on the benches in your musical play? But it wasn't, it was just your brain trying to soften the harshness of losing her.
It is how our minds cope with grief, your therapist says. Minho convinced you to go see one. Because love doesn't mend everything. And he needed you to be okay again, for yourself.
He's always waiting for you after your sessions end. With coffee and a fresh pastry. You didn't eat them at first, because they tasted bland and you'd rather not waste them. But one time you bit into the strawberry muffin and it tasted sweet and citrusy. And you smiled at Minho.
He stared at you in awe that day, and then he kissed you softly, pressing his pillowy lips against yours. His eyes mirrored galaxies, tears tracing constellations down his cheeks. "You look so pretty when you smile," he whispered tenderly and you felt emotion bubbling within you, stuck in your throat. But you didn’t want to cry. So, you only smiled more brightly at his words, and you kept his compliment stored safely within you, right beside every sweet gesture of his since that day.
Minho didn’t have the answers to all your questions. He didn’t always know what to say to make it feel right. But he stayed there, he tried his best, to heal parts of you that you never knew could be bruised.
You tried one day, to go through the day normally. You woke up, opened the blinds, and then you made Minho breakfast. You ate lunch with Mina, making some jokes here and there. And when you saw Chan in the line of the coffee shop, you went up to him to talk.
And then you got home and showered, put on makeup, and waited for Minho to come to you. As soon as he opened the door, you were on him, hands busy unbuttoning his shirt, your lips pressed wildly on top of his. You missed him, missed the way he made you forget as he touched you, everywhere. As he showed you how much he loved you.
"I want you, please," you whispered, your lips grazing the shell of his ear, your hands roaming across his chest. Your tone was begging and Minho could feel the urgency in it, so he nodded, he could never say no to you. He watched as you guided him to the couch, as you straddled his lap. You kissed his neck and he tilted it back to give you more of an opening. His hands were on your thighs, cautious. Your lips on him felt heavenly but he couldn’t allow himself to get lost in the pleasure, he had to keep an eye on you.
You were urgent, with the way you sucked the tender skin above his collarbones, how you grinded your hips into his. As if you were on borrowed time and you had to make him reach his high as fast as possible.
"Tell me you’re mine," you muttered, between the kisses you imprinted onto his chest. He could see the lipstick stains you left behind as if you needed to mark him up for everyone to see.
"I'm yours," he says, his hand smoothing the top of your hair. He could sense that something was wrong now, because your eyes were glazed over, and your kisses were getting sloppy, as if your mind was somewhere else. So, he grabs your hips to pause you. "I'm yours, angel. You hear me?"
"Tell me you won’t leave, tell me you’re staying," you take his hands away from your sides, clasping them in a tight hold. You capture his lips in a desperate kiss, and Minho can feel the tears streaming down your face. "Tell me you’ll stay, please, I can’t- can’t lose you too."
"Hey, hey, love. It’s okay, calm down," Minho easily frees his hand from your grasp, bringing you closer to his chest. It’s all it takes for you to start sobbing. "Who said anything about losing me? I’m still here, I won’t ever leave you," he shushes, his voice sounding like honey to your ears. It manages to muffle the sound of your erratic heartbeat.
"I'm so so tired Minho, so tired," you sob, burying your head in his chest. You felt as if there was pain igniting the end of each of your nerves. You couldn't run away from it because the pain became you. "I try to be strong, but I can't. It hurts to wake up and- and to try to go on as if nothing happened. The thoughts in my head don't ever stop and I can't- I can't do this anymore. Please make it stop. Make it stop hurting," you press your palm onto your chest, a useless attempt to soothe the burn within.
 Why did it feel as if in your attempts to put out the fire raging within you, you only ended up fueling it even more?
"I would- I would if I could but I can't do that, I wish I could-" his tone is desperate, raw pain dripping from it.
"What if I'm not strong enough to do it myself?" you cut him off, finally asking the question that's been haunting you. "What if I can't fill this hole within me and it keeps on growing until it swallows me whole?"
Minho tightens his hold on you, rocking you gently in place, trying to lull your heart to sleep, so it'd stop hurting, even for a moment, even for a second. You know it's selfish to expect him to have all the answers, but he's all you have. He's the only voice you can bear listening to.
"I can't promise you that you'll ever fill the void left by her absence. It will keep on bleeding and throbbing, begging for a temporary patch-up. But one day it'll stop, it can't bleed forever. And around that hole flowers will bloom, like a sanctuary, watered by your overflowing love. Because it is your love that's hurting you, not your anger. Do not kill your heart to stop feeling, please. It will do that on its own, it won't hurt more than it can bear."
"It will take time. And if you run out of your time, I'll give you mine too. You aren't alone in this, we are a binary star, right?" he smiles softly and you nod slightly against his chest. "I read that to the invisible eye, they look like a singular star. I hope that to the universe we'd look like one person too, so they'd pass some of your pain to me."
✹✹✹
It’s been a few months since your mother died. You didn’t like the term passing away, because it entails that it was gentle, in passing, as if you were expecting it. But her death was sudden and it made your entire world flip upside down.
"Would you like to talk to her?" Minho suggested one night, his knuckles brushing against your cheek softly.
"Will you come with me?" you ask quietly.
"Of course. If you want me to, that is."
"I can try."
Minho drove you to the graveyard the following weekend. It felt weird to see her name etched on the grave, a reminder that this was all real and not a figment of your imagination. 
"I'm not a daughter anymore." You speak after a while, tone coated in sadness, and acceptance. "But I think I’ve never truly been one, since you were never a mother to me."
"Is it weird, that I miss you? I don't even know what I miss exactly since you were never there. But I miss you. I miss having a mother. And I'm sorry, that you were so angry at the world you couldn't find it in you to love me." You pause, blindly reaching out to hold Minho's hand. He grabs it instantly. "But I won't carry your anger anymore. I don't want to be mad at you, for leaving so suddenly. I want to be happy. I deserve to be happy. And I hope that you are too, wherever you are now."
You turn around, a small smile gracing your lips, and Minho wastes no time in wrapping you in his arms, your cheek resting against his shoulder. He's proud of you, the emotion shines clear as day in his eyes. 
"I wanna take you somewhere," he tells you and you nod, wrapping your arm securely around his waist.
The drive is short and you recognize the place fairly easily. It's the hill you told him about a long time ago, the one that held your happiest memory with your mother.
You both sit on the bench, your head finding solace on his shoulder. The view unfolding in front of you is still as breathtaking, and with each passing moment, the tightness in your chest seems to ease. Memories of your mother and this serene spot intertwine like delicate vines, bringing you a bittersweet sense of comfort. Because mourning someone isn't straightforward, not when humans are this complex, never strictly good or bad.
"Cold?" Minho asks and you shake your head no. "You're a human heater."
"Only near you," he smirks and you giggle slightly.
"I remember your hands used to be so cold."
"So, I could find an excuse to hold yours."
"Are you flirting with me?" you chuckle and he nods, a proud smile on his face. "Is it working?"
"I haven't run away yet, so I suppose it is." There is a newfound lightness in your voice, one you’ve been achingly missing for the past months.
"Come here," he taps his lap with his hands and you promptly lay your head on it.
"Look at the sky," he instructs and you do as he says, squinting your eyes. "What am I supposed to see?" you giggle, but then you feel it, the faintest snowflake falling on your nose tip.
"Go away, I don't want to watch the first snow with you," you tilt your head towards Minho, who's watching you, a soft smile on his face.
You giggle at the distant memory, when you both left Limbo, two years ago. The first time Minho rewrote your memories.
"As if I could ever love you, that'd just be signing a death warrant," you repeat your words from that night, a knowing smile on your face.
"How's that death warrant going?"
"Horrible, so so horrible," you say as you intertwine his hand with yours, squeezing it lightly.
"Mm. I suppose we can't be the exception to the superstition."
"How unfortunate," you smile as he leans down to press a kiss on your forehead, before looking back at the sky again.
He looks perfect from your view. You can clearly see the mole on his nose, the pucker of his rosy lips, and his long eyelashes framing his eyes. You are overcome by a feeling of love for the man beside you, and you stand up from your place to pull him in for a deep kiss.
"What was that for?" he smiles once you lean away, his fingers gently grazing your lips.
"Thank you, for today and for every day since I've met you."
"Of course, my love. You took a big step today, what color are you feeling right now?"
"Whatever color loving you is."
✹✹✹
Hills covered in verdant hues, rows of flowers bursting with vibrant colors, stretching before your eyes. The birds are chirping somewhere near, intermingling with the faint melody of the wind brushing against your skin.
"Here," Minho comes from behind, placing his knit jacket on top of your shoulders. Its warmth seeps through you, and you lean your back against his chest, melting into his embrace. His arms encircle your chest, resting comfortably on top of your heart as if guarding it from harm.
You feel your breathing slow down as you both look out the window. You are somewhere far from the city and its buzzing lights, a small white cottage surrounded by nature, where only you and Minho exist.
Minho nuzzles his chin on your shoulder, placing a chaste kiss under your ear. A light giggle escapes your mouth, as goosebumps rise upon your skin. Your body still reacts as sweetly to Minho, proofs of his love imprinted all over you. His touch is familiar to you but still as soothing, never losing its effect on you. You believe it never will, even when you're both withering down; his touch will still be the only thing making you bloom.
"This is nice," he whispers, sighing softly and you nod against him, raising your hand to settle on top of his. His fingers instinctively find your wedding ring, playing with it as they've done for the past two years.
"It's always nice with you," you say and he smiles softly, squeezing your hand lightly. You remember how it felt when he held it for the first time. How he hasn't let go since. It was only ever his to hold.
"We did well, don't you think? For our first time being alive."
His words make a gentle warmth stir within you. It is your first life, and you're lucky enough to spend it with him.
"We did," you turn around, to find him already looking down at your figure, a fond smile on his face. "To think we probably wouldn't be together if it wasn't for our law classes."
"No," he shakes his head, hands gently cupping your cheeks. "I would've found you. On a random evening when you'd stumble onto Limbo. In the supermarket where you'd buy your cherry shampoo. In the park you used to play in as a kid. I would've found you."
You've once read that when humans are about to pass away, a film of their happiest memories plays in front of their eyes. You know that many years down the road when you're on the brink of going away, you'll remember this moment clearly in your head. You'll remember the cicadas chirping far away, and the zesty smell of the lemon muffins you made earlier today. You'll remember the cold breeze ruffling your hair, and Minho’s warm hands on you. And you'll sigh contently, from having lived a life filled with love.
"My soul is dipped in yours. It will always find you too."
1K notes · View notes
oct0bra1ns · 7 months
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Familial Concern
Synopsis: It's only natural to worry about your child Pairing: Yandere Parents (platonic) + Yandere boyfriend reader Tw: manipulation, mentions of bringing harm to others, yanderes , yandere homies trying to fight! notes:i have big brain, i promise reblogs and comments are appreciated!
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Yandere Family! who sheltered you from the world at the beginning worried the world would taint you and feed you lies and make you go down the wrong path.
Yandere Father! Who’s obsession with his wife extended to you as well, after all you were the product of their love and devotion to each other and not a single soul should taint his precious child.
Yandere Mother! Who at first was hesitant to get with your father but soon came to see just how much he was willing to do for her and hopes one day you’ll be able to find someone who’s always there for you.
Yandere Family! Who finally lets you attend actual school as opposed to being homeschooled on the word of your Mother who was concerned with how quiet you were.
Yandere Family! Who demands you call them when you reach school and when you finish, you don’t need to go out with friends, you have them, they’ll take you anywhere and give you anything.
Yandere Family! Who’s entire house is filled with all your achievements and they make sure you're always appreciated. 
Yandere Mother! Who makes you warm meals everyday when you come home and for any of your friends who come over. Father doesn’t like them one bit but for the sake of his wife and child, he’ll tolerate their presence.
Yandere Family! Who’ll make sure anyone who hurts you will regret everything they did to you. The very next day the person ends up apologising and then ends up switching schools.
Yandere Family! Who were beyond stunned when you told them about Yandere Boyfriend!. Never had you seen your Father’s eyes turn so cold, so fast. For the next hour or so, they ask you a lot of questions.
Yandere Father! Who digs up all of Yandere boyfriend’s files! Any and all the data he can collect and Yandere Mother! Who befriends his parents making sure they’re a good family for you.
Yandere Family! Who invites him over for breakfast. Your mother treats him well while your Father is practically grilling Yandere boyfriend! About his intentions and why he should allow him to date their child.
Yandere Mother who’s reminded of how her relationship with your father started when she looks at the two of you, it’s quite nostalgic for her. Yandere Father! On the other hand wants nothing more than to rip him to shreds.
Yandere boyfriend! Who doesn’t give a shit about the opinion of your parents but for your sake, he’ll put in an effort.
Yandere boyfriend! Who gets pissed off at some point and tries to fight your father, gaining a little of his respect in the fight.
Yandere boyfriend! Who joins your family in keeping you away from the horrors of the world.
Yandere boyfriend! Who goes to your father asking him for tips, who hangs out with your mother learning how to make your favourite dishes.
Yandere boyfriend! Who’s willing to do anything for you, you want to work, go ahead, you want to stay at home, fine by him, he can do all the work.
Yandere boyfriend! And Yandere family! Who become the only people you need in your life.
776 notes · View notes
sturnphilia · 2 months
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𝐈'𝐋𝐋 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏 𝐘𝐎𝐔 (rewritten og sturnphilia fic)
𝑴𝑨𝑻𝑻 𝑺𝑻𝑼𝑹𝑵𝑰𝑶𝑳𝑶 𝑿 𝑰𝑵𝑵𝑶𝑪𝑬𝑵𝑻!𝑭𝑬𝑴 𝑶𝑪
𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒; pet names, non established relationship, highschool au, fingering, praising, soft sex elements if you squint
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Lily grew up a very sheltered kid. Her parents tried to keep her away from a lot of stuff. Her parents kept her home school all the way up until senior year. Her parents made the decision to let her finally go to public school for her very last year of high school to have a somewhat high school experience. Due to her being sheltered she was also extremely shy. She didn’t really have any intentions on making friends or being social in public school. But of course she did end up befriending one boy. Matt Sturniolo. One of the only other (non weird..) shy kid in her grade. Her science teacher made the bright decision to pair them up for the beginning year project and now at the end of senior year they have been close ever since.
They were each other's person. Obviously, Matt wasn’t as innocent like Lily. They had a lot in common but he definitely wasn’t anywhere as near as sheltered as she was.
Today they were at Lily’s house watching a movie. A Friday tradition they had been doing ever since they first became friends. They would go to each other's house every friday and have a movie night. Each week they’d take turns picking a new movie to watch. Majority of the time they went to Lily’s house since Lily’s parents always worked a late shift and when they went over to Matt’s his triplet brothers would find a way to annoy them.
They decided on watching some movie Matt wanted to watch. A movie Lily had already forgotten the name of.
Neither of them had seen this movie yet so the next scene shocked them both.
A sex scene with the two main characters was plastered on the 40 inch screen. Matt was a lot more calm because he was used to it. A sex scene in a movie was normal for him. But Lily was a blushing mess. Of course, Lily knew what sex was. She was innocent but wasn't stupid. But, she had never thought of anything sexual before let alone watched porn or any sex scenes like this. So this was very new to her to say the least.
It made her face heat up, her heart beat. She squeezed her thighs together, feeling a weird yet tingling feeling. Lily had never felt this way before. She was extremely confused, scared, and a bit excited at this new feeling.
Obviously since she had no idea what was going on with her or her body she tried hiding her movements and body language from Matt.
All of a sudden the scene began to get more intense. The main characters going at it a lot rougher now.
Lily was trying to hide it but it was getting really hard. She felt her panties begin to get wet. Anxiety filling her body. What is happening to me? Is all she could think. Continuing to squeeze her thighs even more a small whimper leaving her lips.
Matt began to notice Lily's actions. He looked over at Lily confused, "You alright?" he asked her. The room was dim, he could see her bright red cheeks, her shocked face, her body movements. "I-i..uhm." she couldn't form a word. she didn't know what to say. Her breath was shaky,
Matt started to get the hint. The hint that she was .. turned on?
He chuckled at her. "God I didn't know you got turned on by this stuff." he confronted with a scoff. "WWhat are you talking about?" Lily stuttered. Matts eyes went wide. "Do you even know what that means?" he asked the girl. She nodded her head no.
Matt's eyes go even wider. "Shit… I knew you were, like, innocent and all but i didn't know you were that innocent." Lily’s face began to get more red. She was so embarrassed. She felt so disgusted in herself. "i'm sorry.." she apologized. Looking down at her shaky legs, embarrassed to look Matt in the eyes.
Matt started to feel bad. He didn’t mean to embarrass her. "Why are you apologizing?" he asked her. She looked back up at him, "there's something wrong with me, isn't there?" She had pure innocence in her brown eyes.
Matt looked at her with a sympathetic smile, "No baby, nothing wrong with you, that's normal." he assured her. She began to smile at the little pet name he gave her. "Well then how do i... uhm.. fix it?" she asked him. "Fix what?" "This fuzzy feeling inside me?"
Matt’s face was covered in blush. "Uhm, have you ever, like, gotten off?" he asked. His face is heating up every second. The silence never felt so loud in these walls. She nodded her head no. "Oh well u-uh. I mean I could help you but like I don't wanna make this weird.." he suggested to her. She rested her hand on his. "I promise it won’t, just help me Matt, whatever you have to do."
Matt placed his hands on the rim of her mini skirt. "May I take this off?" he began suddenly. she nodded. He took her little white skirt off, placing it on the ground. "Here lay back." he told her, motioning her to lay on her back. She cooperated, leaning back. "M-may i take this off as well?" he asked shyly, mentioning her pink underwear. "Mmhm." she allowed him. He took her panties off slowly. Revealing all of her. He laid her panties with her skirt on the ground.
"Are you sure you want this?" he asked her one more time. Making sure he wasn’t pressuring her into anything. She rolled her eyes. "Yes Matt, just please- do anything." she breathed out- beginning to get more sassier. Matt took his slim fingers and placed them onto her core. His cold fingers making her shiver a bit.
He began to slide his fingers up and down pink slits. She bit her lips, not wanting to make a sound.
"Does this feel nice princess?" he asked her. "Y-Yea." she moaned out. He then slipped one finger inside her, making her gasp a little. "Want me to keep going?" she looked down at him and nodded. He then slipped a second finger in, making her whimper under him. He began to thrust his slim fingers inside her. 
She soo became a moaning mess. "Mmgh matty feels so so good." she praised him. He smirked, going faster. Secretly slipping in a third finger. She yelped. Matt was going at an extremely fast pace, making the girl under him a mess. Her eyes were rolled back and she was holding onto the couch. Soon later her white cum coded Matt’s fingers, making her scream one last time. Her fingers gripping the couch and making her knuckles go pale."F-fuck.." she said under her breath. She looked down at Matt, seeing the mess she made. "Og my god i'm so sorry-" as she began to apologize.
Matt took his tongue and swiped it across her slits, making her shiver. "Why apologize, you taste so good?" he took his fingers out of her and placed them on her lips. "Taste." he said in a low raspy voice. She took his fingers and licked them clean.
-
TAGLIST (ask to be added or unadded!!) : @sturnioloshacker @e1ias3 @gwenlore @iloveneilperry
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AITA for tricking my grandma into misgendering her cat?
Background: my (19F) grandma (67F) is a southern baptist and pretty conservative. My cousin (Matt, 24M) is trans, he came out to his parents and mine about two years ago because he knew we would be supportive, but he waited until he was on T a couple months and was mostly transitioned socially before he officially came out to our less supportive relatives, like my grandma.
Since Matt came out to everyone else (which he did by showing up at family Christmas with a “hello my name is” sticker on, which I thought was hilarious) my grandma has refused to use his correct pronouns, name, or anything, saying “it’s hard to switch” as an excuse. Matt has cut off contact and everyone else in the family just kind of avoids talking about him around her.
I am in a weird situation because my family lives the next street over from where she does, and we have always been pretty close. Since she started being so shitty about Matt, though, I’ve put more distance and just stay polite when she’s over.
Okay so now to the AITA part. About two months ago my grandma wanted to adopt a cat, and my best friend volunteers at an animal shelter so we were helping her. We showed her pictures of some of the cats and she saw an older male who was all black with longer fur and said she wanted to adopt “her.” I started to correct her saying it was a male cat, and then realized the opportunity I had so I kept my mouth shut. I made a point to handle all the adoption stuff for my grandma so she never saw anything indicating the cat’s male-ness, and then brought home her new “female” cat, pink collar and all.
Last week “Miss Kitty” (such a creative name) got a paw injury and at the vet they told my grandma the cat was male. My grandma told me and my parents about it when she was over for the Fourth of July (we had family and friends over for barbecue, including Matt’s parents). I made a point from there on to continue using “she” for the cat and still calling “Miss Kitty” instead of “Mister Kitty.” It took her a minute to notice but finally she called me out and said “he’s a boy, stop saying she.”
I immediately snapped back with “oh so it’s easy for you to switch the name and pronouns of your cat but not your own grandson?” Everyone got quiet and she got all flustered, trying to say it’s different, but I just said “oh okay, so you put more effort into using the right words for a cat who doesn’t even know English, got it.”
My mom told me to stop and leave it alone. I said “I’m just saying, it’s pretty clear who she cares about more.” And then my mom told me to leave the table if I was going to act like that. I just got up and took my plate in the kitchen and finished eating.
After everyone left my mom lit into me and told me that what I said was cruel. I said I was just teaching her a lesson and that maybe now she would think about it different. My mom said that I just made things worse and humiliated her on purpose in front of everyone. My dad had been quiet but then just started laughing. He realized that I had been playing the long game, and it wasn’t a mix up at the shelter- I led my grandma to believe the cat was female. He basically said “that was wrong but also hilarious” and now my mom is mad at both me and my dad. When Matt’s parents told him he thought it was super funny and said he isn’t mad at all.
My mom wants me to apologize, but I am not sorry about what I said. I don’t know if I should feel bad about tricking my grandma, because I didn’t technically outright lie, I just didn’t correct her when she assumed the cat was female. AITA?
What are these acronyms?
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starogeorgina · 9 months
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Redemption
Warning: Swearing, oral sex
Pairing: Ivar × reader
1.02
“Once we lure them into position, I’ll give you the signal, then you’ll light the bastards up—Ivar stop,” you laugh, feeling his hands roam over your body. “I’m trying to help you plan a war.”
“I’m aware.”
“It’s difficult to concentrate when you do that.”
“Do what?” Ivar smirks, kissing your neck. He continues to squeeze at your breasts over your dress. His two favourite things were fucking and fighting, so talking battle strategies was hard for im. Ivar begins kissing your neck, leaving purple marks as a way of reminding others that you are his. “I’m not doing anything you don’t like.”
You turn your head and kiss him. Your lips linger as your mind begins to race with a thousand thoughts. It hadn’t been long since you lost your baby, and you hadn’t been intimate since.
Ivar rubs his finger along your cheek. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” you say, kissing him again. “I want you, Ivar. I want you to do more things I like.”
He tilts his head to the side and gives you a small smile. Ivar smooths your hair out of your face, and the gaze in his eyes somehow brought you comfort; it was as if he was looking deep into your soul and knew what you were thinking. “I will not rush you, Drifa,” he says. “But I know something we can do, something we both like.”
Seeing the mischievous look on his face, you raise your brows and ask, “What's that?”
Ivar smirks in amusement as the sword in your hand rests at the top of his neck. He says, “You fight dirty; I’ve taught you well.”
You toss your sword to the side, pick up two axes, and hand one to Ivar. He told you that non-Viking armies didn’t see women as much of a threat; he wanted you to prove them all wrong. Ivar took great pride in coaching you in sword fighting, throwing spears, and aiming your bow and arrow.
“Perhaps one of my brothers will spar with you later.”
You pull a face and say, “Ubbe or Hvitserk. Last time I sparred with Sigurd, your mother was mad at me for hurting him.”
With a boyish smile on his face, Ivar says, “You knocked his front tooth out; it was a wonderful thing to witness.”
You’d always hated Sigurd and the way he treated Ivar and his mother. You think back to that day and how you and Sigurd got into a fight because he kept insulting your dead parents. At first, his brothers laughed until the first blood was drawn. You feel awful thinking about Hvitserk trying to separate you and accidentally backhanding him.
Lost in thought, you don’t notice Ivar talking to you until he places his hand on your waist. “What are you thinking about?"”
“The time I burst Hvitserk lip.”
“Hvitserk adores you.” Ivar throws his axe, which hits the mark on the tree. “So do Ubbe and Bjorn. As did my mother.” Ivar takes the other axe from your hand and repeats the action, hitting the mark perfectly again. “Sigurd is scared of you because he is weak and knows he cannot compete.”
“Have I told you recently how much I love you?”
Ivar blushes. “No, but I never tire of hearing it.”
You kiss him on the cheek before going to retrieve the axes so you can continue throwing them. You continue training until the sun begins to disappear behind the clouds and the sky quickly becomes dark as the weather changes quickly.
The rainfall is heavy, causing the mud to splash up onto Ivar’s face and neck while he dragged his body along the ground as you headed home. Seeing the pain in Ivar’s face, you suggest taking shelter from the rain underneath a large tree. You sink down beside Ivar and lean your head on his shoulder.
You sit in silence until Ivar lets out a deep breath and asks, “Why doesn’t it bother you?”
“What?”
“Being married to a cripple.”
You roll your eyes. Every time Ivar felt self-consciousness, he would question why anyone loved him. His insecurity became worse when his brother told him; nobody loved him, and everyone felt sorry for him. “I’ve told you to stop listening to Sigurd.”
“It’s true, though; I am a cripple. And my weaknesses are your weaknesses.”
“Your legs aren’t a weakness, Ivar. They are your greatest strength. People will always underestimate a cripple.”
Ivar opens his mouth to argue, but you cut him off with a kiss. You brush your nose against his as you straddle his lap, careful not to put too much pressure on him. The feral look in Ivar’s eyes sparks something inside you; all you wanted was for him to devour you. “You are Ivar the boneless, the strongest and most violent man I’ve ever met.”
Ivar grips your jaw with a devilish glint in his eyes. “You think I’m violent?”
“I think you're the most bloodthirsty Viking to ever exist.”
“Stand up.”
Following his order, you stand up. Seeing Ivar lower his trousers so his cock can spring free, you pull up the bottom of your dress. He grins, clasping his hands around your thighs. Ivar brings you in closer so he can put his mouth on your aching core. You let out a moan when you fell his warm tongue swipe over your folds before turning his attention to your clit.
“Mmmm.. Ivar, just like that,” you encouraged, “please don’t stop!”
He sucks and flicks his tongue on your abused clit, speeding up his actions until you cum, legs shaking around his head. When you come down from your high, you kneel down and twirl your tongue over the head of Ivar’s hard cock before taking him full into your mouth. He uses one hand to grip your hair, while Ivar uses the other to pinch your nipple, as Drool dribbles down your chin while you bob your head. Tears roll down your cheeks as you gag, feeling his cock start to jolt in your mouth. Ivar tightens his grip as spurts of hot cum shoot down your throat.
He grunts, “Swallow all of it like a good wife.”
Sitting up, you wipe the saliva away with the back of your hand. Ivar shuffles to put his cock back into his trousers. You kiss the palm of Ivar’s hand when he cups your face. “We should get back; it’s almost time for supper, and we both need to bathe.”
You take another mouthful of ale as your eyes jump between the brothers sitting around the table. There was a weird atmosphere, and you were trying to figure out why. Ubbe and Ivar feasted, laughed, and drank ale while Hvitserk looked nervous. He kept glancing at Sigurd, who had been smirking most of the night. When you returned, you had bathed and changed into a clean dress, while Ivar remained in the same mud-covered clothes. The only reason his hands were free from dirt was because he washed your back and hair.
Sigurd suddenly burst out laughing, gaining the attention of his brothers. “Do you all remember when Margrethe said Ivar couldn’t pleasure a woman? Well, today I found out that’s not true.”
You and Ivar look at each other and ask, “What?”
“Me and Hvitserk were coming back from a hunt and saw-”
“I did not look,” Hvitserk says quickly, not letting his brother finish his sentence. You patted the back of his hand; although he was a menace at times, Hvitserk was respectful and would never deliberately watch such a thing.
“Enough,” Ubbe says. “We will hear no more of this.”
Sigurd ignores his elder brother and continues talking. “I’m just sharing that I’m happy for Ivar. At least it can finally put the rumors of Drifa carrying another man’s child to rest.”
“It was you who told others that!”
He shrugs. “I stand corrected; I can tell others I know Ivar gets hard because I caught you with his dick in your mouth.”
Ubbe and Hvitserk stare at him, unimpressed.
Tears of embarrassment swell in your eyes, but you refuse to let them fall. You glance at your husband to see his reaction to his brother's taunting. Ivar peels the last bit of meat from the bones of his meal off with his teeth, then tosses the bare animal bone onto the table. “What kind of man talks about his brother's wife in that way?”
The amused smile drops from Sigurd’s face, “I’m—”
“I swear to the gods that if I ever hear you talk about my beautiful Drifa in such a way again, brother, you’ll leave me no other choice but to kill you.”
The room falls silent as Ivar’s threat lingers in the air. Sigurd looks to his brothers, but when neither of them say anything, he storms off, leaving the rest of you to enjoy the remainder of your night.
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readychilledwine · 8 months
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Hello. Hope u r feeling good. I was wondering if u could write something again. This one is particularly personal to me. Picture it. Reader is daughter of any one of the bat boys. If cass Or az then single dad. She has been bullied since the day she started school as a child because she has a problem when it comes to studying. As she grows it's her looks. The ic, notices her behavior is starnge. Like, snapping at small things, crying when they correct her or raise their voice. She has never told anyone because she doesn't want them to stress out and the bullies said that she was so worthless because she keeps running to her father for everything. Her dad finds out soon. U can decide the ending.
Oh my love 💜 all three of our boys got you.
Head Held High
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Summary - After being born with Feyre's looks, but illyrian wings, Rhysand and Feyre's daughter faces challenges wherever she goes.
Warnings - bullying, signs of low self-worth, anger, inferred adhd or other learning issues, older brother coming in to do the older brother thing while protective dad does the dad thing
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You had him wrapped around your finger the second you came into the world.
His beautiful baby girl, wide eyed and filled with curiosity and happiness.
You truly were a stunning little thing, but how couldn't you have been with parents like Rhysand and Feyre? He loved you even more for being the small version of your stunning mother. Her nose, her lips, her hair. The only piece of you that screamed you were his were those star flecked eyes.
Your childhood was filled with love and joy. With you constantly praised for your looks, for your smarts, or your imagination. Rhys and Feyre never thought anything of your wild mind. They loved it. They loved how sporadic you were, how one thing was never enough for you to stay focused on. They loved your random outlook on the world.
To Rhys, Feyre, and your significantly older brother Nyx, you were the world. They sheltered and loved you, thick and thin, protecting you from darkness and meaness at every turn.
It wasn't until you began lessons that you truly saw how unkind fae, especially those your own age could be.
You hated school and struggled to focus during lessons. You were busy, you told yourself in your little mind. Busy day dreaming of far away places, daring sword fights, a knight just like daddy or Uncle Az and Cass, mainly Uncle Az if you were honest with yourself, rescuing you from enemies.
Your grades reflected that. As did how your peers treated you.
"Silly y/n," one girl giggled when she thought you couldn't hear. "It's a good thing she's pretty, 'cause she's dumb."
"Her mommy couldn't read either. Maybe that's why."
In class the jabs were subtle enough that your teacher didn't notice, and when they did, nothing was done.
No one at home noticed either. No one noticed when you began to hide away more, when you stopped playing with your big brother after school. No one noticed when you weren't dreaming about being rescued anymore, but instead dreamed of running away.
Things did not get better when you were sent to Illyria, Uncle Cass and Aunt Nesta in tow, to begin training. You knew comments about your intelligence would be coming. You'd never expected comments about your looks, though.
"Imagine looking like your mom and trying to pass as an Illyrian."
"Her mom isn't even that pretty."
"Never said she was either."
You'd hide behind your wings constantly in public. You'd started eating alone. Stopped talking at home.
Cassian had tried asking what was wrong one night. His large hand running up and down your back as he spoke gently enough to you to shatter your aching heart a little more. "Just leave me alone!" You finally screamed at him. "I just want to be alone."
He wrote it off as homesickness, calling for Rhys and asking the High Lord to come visit you.
Rhys noticed it then.
He noticed the way you tucked behind your wings in shame. He noticed you eating alone. He noticed you never had a training partner.
He noticed your loveliness.
"Darling," a soft knock came at your door. "We need to talk." You curled further into your bed, your father refusing to enter or leave without your permission.
"Little love, please," his voice was pleading with you. "Let me in. Let me help you." You felt the gentle claws on your mind and blocked him out harder.
"Y/n, please. Don't shut me out." You'd never heard his voice break like this. The Crack that indicated he was about to cry. "I know what it's like to feel like you're the outsider here. I know what being this lonely feels like and how it eats away at you."
You heard something soft hit the door. "Babygirl, please. Let me come talk to you. Let me settle any feelings you're having. Let me help you. Please don't make me force myself in."
Shadows appeared in the corner, blue reflecting in them every so often. "I have her, Rhys. I'll come get you in a second." Your father yielded then. Yielded you to the arms of the Shadowsinger. "I've been watching for a little while." He admitted, "we've been worried for a few weeks."
He sat down on the bed next to you. "You stopped writing all of us. I know I violated your privacy and independence, but we all know how being out here can be. We all knew there was a risk of you being targeted the way we all were and the way Nyx was."
Azriel placed a hand on your back, rubbing small circles. "Your dad is the most worried. He did not want to send you here. He wants to bring you home."
You sniffled hard, finally lifting your body and shifting to sit next to him. "It's not any better there. I'm stupid in Velaris. I'm ugly here."
Azriel's jaw tightened. "Let me go get Rhys." Your uncle stood, walking to the doorway and leaving it open as he spoke softly down the hall.
Your dad was a mess when he entered. His hair was sticking different directions from how frequently he was running his hands through it. His face was tear stained. His shoulder slumped in defeat as he practically dragged his feet.
Azriel motioned for him to sit next to you, shutting the door so the three of you were alone and pulling a chair from across the room to sit in front of you. "Tell him what you just told me, little bat."
Your breath hitched as your hands began to shake. You could feel your eyes watering as you looked down to your unkept nails. "Taking me home won't make a difference."
Your dad pulled you close to him. "It would make all the difference, darling. We'd just send you back to regular-" Azriel shook his head at his brother, silencing him.
"Tell him the rest of what you said, y/n."
"I get made fun of in Velaris for being stupid, I get made fun of here for being ugly. It wouldn't make a difference."
Your father's world shattered then and there. Azriel stood, leaving the room to allow you to time alone now that the truth was out. Silence hung in the room. Interrupted every so often by your soft sniffles.
"How long," your father's voice broke again. "How long have you been getting picked on?"
You shrugged. "Since you started sending me to lessons."
He nodded, looking up. "I'm sorry I didn't notice, darling."
You didn't respond, only holding yourself tighter. He started. "I learned around your age, that holding my head high and not letting others see how much their cruelty hurt me tended to lead to it ending, but There is no merit in either of those statements"
He pulled you close to him, resting your head on his shoulder. "Are you easily distracted in school? Yes. Uncle Lucien always pushed us to teach you outdoors in a less formal environment with private help. You would have thrived in that setting. That is on me, y/n. I picked a public lesson setting so you could socialize." He paused. His jaw twitching. "You are not stupid in any sense, though, y/n." He motioned to the countless books stacked on your dresser. "Those are all educational texts or intense world building fantasies that you have taken the time to notate in a color system with separate journals filled with notes. That is not the action of someone who is stupid."
He tilted your face to him. "And you are not ugly. There is not a single court or location in this world where you do not meet or exceed their beauty standards. Anyone who says otherwise is either in denial of their attraction to you or blind. I never want to hear you say you are ugly ever again, darling."
A loud slam interrupted the heartfelt talk as your other brother entered the room followed by your cousins. "This is nice and all pops, really it is. Touching." Nyx walked to you, getting on his knees in front of you. "Their names, sis."
Rhys hid his smirk. "I never said your uncles and I weren't also going to do this, Nyx."
The heir rolled his eyes. "You can have their piece of shit fathers. I get the ones my age." Nyx grabbed your chin forcing you to look into his eyes. "Their names, y/n."
You gave them to him without hesitation. "Be nice," you said softly.
Nyx froze in the doorway. "You have mom's heart, y/n. I have dad's. You handle it with kindness and grace, I'm going to handle it with my fists and intimidation."
Your father pulled you close to him again. "Never change anything about you, little love." He stood moving in front of you and tilting your head up by your chin. "Just hold your head high, y/n. Hold your head high, walk away, and let dad and Nyx take care of the rest." He placed a kiss on your forehead. "Now, if you excuse me, I have a camp leader to beat the shit out of."
He paused at the doorway, turning to you. "I'll be right back. I promise. Maybe you could make us some hot chocolate and we can have a cuddle date like we used to?"
Your eyes lit up for the first time in years, making him smile and laugh. "There you are, darling. My beautiful girl."
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sexyandcringe · 17 days
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Part 1 - Part 2 ◇
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Warnings: none
Content: osamu x reader, Angst (to fluff in the next chapters), hurt/comfort
A/n: Guess the Song of Achilles reference! :)
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It has been around three weeks since you last saw Osamu that day: you took your chance to scurry away when he went back into the kitchen briefly, leaving your payment to Tsumoto.
The memory of his embrace with another woman still lingered in your mind, but you were able to distract yourself with the hundreds of books on your shelf and the dogs in the shelter.
You took this time to explore other places in the city, from the cozy Indian restaurant near your workplace, where the taste of salty chapati mixed with matar paneer melted in your mouth like butter, to the Mexican fast food spot at the corner of the library, where you savoured the taste of chiles en nogada followed by elotes. Yet,  nothing compared to Osamu’s handmade onigiris, the taste of his love surpassed any food you’ve ever tried.
You don’t believe he didn’t notice your absence, but it wouldn’t bother him that much, you assume, since you’re nothing more than a friendly regular. 
Or at least, you used to be a regular.
Now you are just a girl who spends her days between work and shelter,  occasionally going out to drink with the few friends you have. You know it’s wrong to use alcohol to dull the suffering, but sometimes it’s the only way to remind yourself that life still holds meaning, and that happiness, however fleeting, can be found.
But not going to Osamu’s restaurant has its consequences, like going to the grocery store to buy all the necessities to make a healthy meal and right now you are not exactly having fun doing all this.
When you were a child, your mother always told you to learn how to cook and clean because “someday you’ll have to do it for your future husband”, so, as an act of rebellion, you refused to learn anything other than the most basic dishes of your culture; this act of rebellion ended up biting your ass now because you are tired of eating the same basic things over and over again and you miss Osamu’s food.
You wander through the aisles, searching for the ingredients of the recipe you want to try.
it has been at least half an hour now and you’re meticulously selecting each item, trying to get the correct amount of food. You always tend to buy more than necessary, which ends up with you never using that specific product again and making it go to waste—like the honey syrup you bought for your pre-made pancakes that now sits untouched. You don’t even have time to eat breakfast most of the time. 
You are trying to understand which vegetables are less decayed than others when someone approaches you slowly. 
“That one will go bad in like 2 days.” 
You startle at first, but you freeze completely the second you meet his eyes.
“Hey.” he smiles.
Oh my god oh my god oh my god, please why did he have to come here out of all the grocery stores in the city?
You tried to forget about him like an unwanted pest, avoiding all the places he could be at, you even chose a longer path home so you wouldn’t bump into him while he closed the restaurant. You are old and tired and so is your heart, it can scarcely bear the burden of yet another heartbreak.
You drew in a slow, steadying breath before replying.
“Hi Osamu, long time no see.” you try your best to beam at him, like nothing has touched you, like you don’t want to run away this instant, like you don’t want to scream at him and hurl all these vegetables at him because you hate him for shattering the last remnants of hope you had left in you.
Like you don’t love him at all.
You tend to buy more than necessary, just like you tend to let your feelings grow more than necessary, and then, then they stay there, growing and decaying at the same time, festering with pests and resentment.
“Yeah, because someone hasn’t been coming to my restaurant lately.” He remarked with a petty edge to his voice.
Well, you jumped into that one.
A nervous laugh leaves your lips, “I was just … busy. We got a few more dogs in the shelter and it’s been a little hectic.” your voice is barely a whisper, laden with the weight of your lies.
Coward, liar, ugly.
He nods in quiet understanding, picking a zucchini with a pristine surface, a stark contrast to your rotten life. “Take this one. What’re ya making?.”
You take the vegetable from his hands and place it in your bag, his kindness pressing against the walls you've erected around your fragile heart “I don’t know,” you sigh, “I'm trying to make some vegetarian lasagna, but I already know it's going to suck. I’m a terrible cook.”
“You can always learn, you know.” he counters, a playful smirk gracing his lips “I wasn’t born with a knife in my hand.”
You roll your eyes, pushing your cart forward. “I’m lazy. And I don’t have anyone to teach me in a fun way.”
“I could teach you. Although I'm not sure if I can do it ‘in a fun way’” he signs with his fingers, “you won't die of boredom, I guess?”
“I’m always having fun with you, Osamu.”  And it’s true.
“That’s crazy considering that you haven’t come to meet me in three weeks.”
“Oh god, you’re so petty!” 
“Hell yeah, I am!”
You stare at each other before bursting into loud giggles; his eyes crinkle as he looks at you and you try so hard to ignore the warmth of your cheeks.
(and the warmth in your chest).
You are not used to being loved but you are used to love, and you can’t help wanting to stay around those you love, can’t ignore the tugs of your heartstrings. You know it will only end up in heartache and you are already regretting what’s coming out of your mouth, but you can’t stop it.
“Well? Will you teach me then?”
He smiles, and his face is like the sun.
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nerdytyrantphantom · 2 years
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Murphy’s Law
Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader Summary: What happens when your truck breaks down at your best friend's house late one cold, rainy night? Rating: 18+ Minors DNI Warnings: smut / oral (both) / cock riding lol / 5.5k words sorry Notes: This has been sitting in my Google Docs for WEEKS and I just had to get it out finally. Constructive feedback welcome!
MURPHY’S LAW: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. This is what you’re thinking about as you sit in the chilly cab of your truck, watching the torrential downpour outside the windows. You take a deep breath and turn the key in the ignition one more time, but the same sound persists: click-click-click-click-click. You painfully accept the culprit: a dead battery.
What’s worse is that you’re not at home where you could easily abandon your truck and any ideas you had about driving it. Instead you’re outside your best friend Eddie Munson’s home and it’s a late October night. Just minutes ago, the two of you sat thigh-to-thigh in his living room watching The Thing – a movie you’d both seen too many times to count – as part of a Halloween marathon you’d been having all month in anticipation for the holiday. The whole thing had become routine: Eddie and you would peruse the horror aisle of Family Video, select a blockbuster for the night, and then nestle onto his couch back at his place.
It wasn’t always easy to focus on the films, however. Over the past couple of months, your feelings for Eddie had shifted; you grew to think of him as less than a friend and more of an unrequited love. Sure, you’d never admitted your feelings to Eddie. But you were positive that if you did, the feelings wouldn’t be returned. Why would Eddie want you? Regardless, that didn’t stop you from savoring every small moment your skin touched his. When the movie was over and it was time to go home, you’d cruise to every stoplight in a daze, replaying all of the times you both reached for a handful of popcorn at the same time and how his fingers felt so soft against your own.
But tonight you weren’t able to make that melodramatic drive home pining over your best friend. Tonight you had to do something you’d only fantasized about doing: ask if you could come back inside.
That’s how you find yourself running through puddles up the stairs to Eddie’s trailer. Your knuckles rap against the door as you shift your weight from one foot to the other, the cold from the rain sinking into your clothes and chilling you to the bone. The flimsy awning above the entrance to the trailer provides just enough shelter as fat raindrops bounce off the tin surface. Then, as another chill makes you tremble for the umpteenth time, the door swings open.
“Whoa, déjà vu!” Eddie yells over the sound of the downpour. He looks over your shoulder and squints at your truck through the rain. “Shit. Your old lady kick out on you?” he asks.
You quickly nod your head, still shaking. “Y-Yeah,” you yell back, the frigid weather sneaking its way into your speech as your teeth begin to chatter. Eddie’s eyes immediately dart back to you.
“Here, come back inside.” He extends his arm out to usher you back in, not moving from the doorframe so you’re forced to brush against him as you do. He gently places a guiding hand on the center of your back, before turning around and locking the door.
Once inside, you take inventory of the living room. It’s just how you left it: warm and cozy with the ambient glow of a lamp in the corner, the last remnants of marijuana smoke hovering in the air, and the muted credits of The Thing still rolling across the screen. The only change is the addition of a pint of ice cream on the coffee table, the lid tossed beside it, with a spoon standing erect in the sweet dessert’s center. You can’t help but smile.
“You sure you don’t mind if I…” you trail, turning back around to face Eddie. You’re not quite sure what you’re asking and hope for Eddie to fill in the blanks, like he so often does.
“Of course not,” Eddie replies, eyebrows stitched together like even thinking such a thing is ridiculous. “Don’t be silly.”
“Okay. Thanks, Eds – I really appreciate it. I’m pretty sure it’s the battery that’s dead,” you say, peeking through the window blinds. You watch the rain pummel your truck under the yellow glow of a lamppost.
Eddie picks up his pint of ice cream – Rocky Road – and takes a bite. “The good thing about that,” he says with a full mouth, pointing his spoon at you, “is that it’s an easy fix. Just gotta jump it once it stops raining.” He wipes his hand over his mouth.
Another chill trickles down your spine from the wet and the cold. You shift your weight from one foot to the next. “That’s the thing though, Eds,” you say, turning to face him. “I don’t know when this rain is supposed to let up.”
Eddie stabs his spoon into the ice cream and shrugs. “Well,” he says, tilting his head to the side, eyes studying the small mound of ice cream on the end of his spoon, “I guess you’re stuck with me for a while.” After he takes the bite, he looks at you with a smile – a real smile that makes your stomach do somersaults. But then just as quickly as he’s smiling, his eyes are bulging out of his head and he’s nearly choking on his ice cream.
“Shit,” he says, wiping his hand over his mouth. “You’re freezing. Let me grab you some dry clothes.” And with that, he disappears down the hallway, leaving you alone in the living room.
You take this opportunity to unzip your hoodie, peeling the sopping wet fabric off of your arms. Next, you toe off your Converse, neatly placing them by the door. You’re left in your t-shirt, jeans, and socks, which are all soaked, sending more shivers down your back. And you know from experience that the rain has made your hair a wild mess, leaving it in desperate need of a good comb-through. All that to say, you feel your cheeks redden with embarrassment when Eddie returns with an amused smile on his face.
“What?” you ask sheepishly, afraid of what he might say.
Eddie just shakes his head. “It’s nothing,” he promises, extending a small stack of clothes to you. “Here. You can go into the bedroom or the bathroom to change – doesn’t matter.”
“Thanks, Eds,” you say, graciously accepting the dry clothing. When you get into his bedroom to change, you can’t help but laugh at what he’s selected for you to wear: an old pair of Hawkins High sweatpants from freshman year P.E. class and his one and only Hellfire Club shirt. For a moment you debate whether or not to remove your bra and panties, but ultimately say fuck it and discard of the garments. Then you return to the living room, where you find Eddie sitting on the couch with his ice cream.
“Whoa,” he says, freezing mid-bite. “That shirt looks…” He swallows. “Great on you.”
Once again, that familiar feeling is back – the one Eddie gives you so many times, the one that feels like a fire igniting in your stomach and burning up your chest, your neck, to your cheeks, where it turns you a bright shade of red.
You can’t help but give in just a little. “You think so?” you ask, playfully giving him a twirl. Then you join him on the couch. “I must say, I feel pretty special getting to wear the shirt of the Dungeon Master himself.”
At this, Eddie blushes. To keep himself busy, he pops his spoon into his mouth, letting it hang, while he fumbles to put the lid back on his ice cream pint. “Well, to be clear,” he says, his words slightly garbled from the spoon, “you are pretty special.”
And just as the words leave Eddie’s mouth – muddled as they may be – he’s praying to God he hasn’t made things awkward. Because for the longest time, he’s wished he could tell you that: that you were special. After all, there weren’t many people who would patiently sit and listen to the progress he’d made learning new songs on his guitar. There weren’t many people who would listen to him passionately spew new ideas for his Dungeons and Dragons campaign and ask him clarifying questions to help solidify his ideas. And most importantly, there weren’t many people who calmed Eddie’s anxieties like you. Comfortable silences were an odditie in Eddie’s world, but they came natural with you, and for that, he was grateful.
But that was too hard – too scary – to say aloud. So, after he said what he said, he stood up from the couch to put his ice cream away, acting like it wasn’t a big deal. And it’s his confident casualness that convinces you this is just Eddie being typical, unfiltered Eddie. As he walks towards the kitchen with his back to you, you feel a pang in your chest, wishing so badly that his words ran deeper than he let on. But you force yourself to brush off the sorrowful ache in your heart and go back to playing “best friends.”
“So, what were you planning on doing after I left?” you ask as he reenters the living room. He plops on the couch beside you, extending his arms over the top, his left arm behind your head.
“Honestly?” he laughs, a contagious smile spread across his face. “Eat ice cream and crash.” He arches his back into the couch and stretches his arms out more, the bottom of his shirt rising to reveal a sliver of inked skin. “Yep,” he yawns, rubbing his face. “Had a looong day of being a badass, so this Dungeon Master is wiped.” He gives you a teasing smile, both of you very well knowing Eddie hadn’t done anything but watch movies with you all day.
“Well, don’t let me stop you,” you say hurriedly. “If you want to go to bed, I can put on another movie to watch or something. Don’t worry about me.”
Eddie raises an eyebrow. “You sure you’re not tired, too?” he asks, a smirk playing on his lips. “I seem to recall a certain someone dozing off not that long ago.”
You bite your lip as your cheeks redden; he noticed you sleeping? You shake off the idea while you trace the big “H” embroidered on the thigh of your sweatpants. “I could probably fall asleep,” you admit. You glance around the room, spotting a blanket over the back of a recliner; you get up to retrieve it.
Eddie watches you, chewing on his lip as he tries to figure out how to say what’s on his mind. Before he’s had time to think it through, you return with the blanket and plop back down beside him. You hug the sofa pillow to your chest and give him a reassuring smile. “Got everything I need,” you say.
Eddie springs from his seat. “Oh! So, you’re gonna crash on the couch,” he realizes, speaking more to himself than to you. He quickly walks towards a small closet, removing a pile of thick blankets. He drops them on the couch beside you and then stands there staring at you with his hands on his hips, something eating away at him, but what, you’re not sure.
Finally, he mutters an awkward “goodnight” and starts to walk towards the hallway before he’s turning around and pacing, a torn expression on his face. “Okay, let me level with you,” he says with a sigh, looking everywhere but at you. “That couch is a bitch to sleep on. I’m talking back problems for days.” He plays with his hair and then stops pacing, finally looking at you. “So, I mean, if you’re cool with it, I’m cool with it, if you want to just like, use my bed.”
“Oh, no, Eddie,” you say blushing. “I’m not about to kick you out of your own bed.” Your eyes stay focused on the “H” embroidery covering your thigh, afraid to look up.
Eddie’s got his tongue in his cheek before he decides to bite the bullet. “Who said anything about kicking me out of my bed?” he asks. A silence hangs in the air, anticipation filling the room.
You glance up at Eddie to see if he’s joking with you, but he’s looking at you with the most earnest expression, like he’s hanging on to your every next word.
“Okay,” you say, standing up from the couch.
“Yeah?” Eddie says. “Only if you’re comfortable with it, of course,” he adds.
“Let’s go,” you say with a smile. And with that, you follow Eddie down the hall to his bedroom.
No matter how many times you’d been in it, you never got tired of having access to Eddie Munson’s private sanctuary. Band posters covered the walls and knick knacks scattered every surface, always providing something new to inspect when you stopped by to listen to Eddie practice his newly learned chords.
But this time something was off. You nearly ran into Eddie as he stopped in his tracks just a few steps into his room. Standing in front of you, heat rises to his cheeks as his eyes scan the floor of his room, spotting the black fabric of your abandoned bra and panties. “Oh…” is all he can say – and when you catch up with him and your eyes follow his, you’re blushing too, scrambling to pick up your articles of clothing.
“Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to just leave those out like that,” you say, sweeping up the garments in one swift motion. You laugh nervously and see that, despite his red-tinged cheeks, Eddie’s got that same smile from earlier on his face, the one that makes your stomach flip.
“Hey, I’m just glad you’re comfortable,” he says, raising his hands like a man trying to prove his innocence.
Relieved he’s not freaked out, you let out a soft sigh. “Well, of course I’m comfortable around you, Eds,” you say.
He smiles to himself. “That’s all I hope for,” he mumbles – again, like he’s talking to himself more than you.
You lift the covers and crawl into bed on the side closest to the window. The sheets are soft and downy, smelling faintly of Eddie and something else you can’t quite place. With your back to him, you listen to him go about his business: removing the belt from his pants, sliding into pajamas and a t-shirt, turning off the lamp in the corner of the room and the flick of the lighter as he lights a candle. To your surprise, you’re already beginning to drift off when the light switches off and you feel the sag of the mattress behind you.
There’s something about the room being swallowed in darkness save for the lightning outside and the dance at the tip of the candle wick in the corner of the room that triggers you awake. You realize you’ve never seen Eddie’s bedroom from this perspective – on your side, tucked away warmly in his clothes, in his bed – and you try to memorize each detail, knowing you’ll likely never experience it again.
Then Eddie’s voice cracks the silence.
“Hey, um…” he trails, and you feel him stir behind you. “Can I tell you something?”
You shake away your thoughts.
“Of course, Eds.” Your voice is hushed – sweet and innocent.
“I’ve, uh… actually thought about this a lot,” he admits. As he speaks, his brows furrow, realizing how much truth is in his words as his secret penetrates the air. Flashes of you play through his mind: how beautiful you look sitting on the edge of the bed studying his fingers plucking the strings of his guitar, how tenderly you listen to his problems and soothe him with your words, your voice always a lullaby to Eddie’s antics. He’s thought about having you here beside him, intimately, a lot.
Your body goes still, but only to disguise the quickening of your heartbeat. You know Eddie’s close and you feel like you can hear your own heart beating – can Eddie hear it too? – and you’re trying not to move, trying to keep still. You squeeze your arms against yourself.
“Thought about what?” you ask, your voice barely above a whisper.
“You.”
This should be the part where you roll over to face him, but you’re still in denial.
“What do you mean?” you ask, confused.
You feel Eddie roll over behind you. He’s fighting the urge to wrap his arms around you and pull you close against his chest, burying his nose into the crook of your neck and feeling you giggle in his embrace. But instead he just asks, his voice a ghost on the back of your neck: “What part don’t you understand?”
“The part where you said… that you think about me,” you say, tears brimming your eyes. And fuck, you don’t know why you’re fucking crying, but the tears are hot, sliding down your cheek and onto the pillow. You just know in your heart of hearts that there’s not a world where Eddie could think about you like that – could love you the way you love him.
It’s just one sniffle, but instantly, Eddie picks up that something’s amiss.
“Hey,” he whispers, and then he’s putting his hand on your shoulder, gently pulling you onto your back, gently asking you to look at him so he can look at you. “I didn’t mean to upset you, sweetheart,” he says, panic rising in his voice.
You laugh weakly and shake your head. “I’m just confused is all,” you say, wiping your nose.
His eyebrows stitch in concern. His hand caresses your cheek, thumb tenderly wiping away lone tears. A weak smile plays across his lips as he takes you all in, committing to memory how sweet you look with your head on his pillow, one side of your face illuminated in light, the other lost in the shadows. He studies your eyes to the tips of your eyelashes, the curve of your nose to the soft jut of your lips, and his body aches for you.
“What’s so confusing about a guy liking a girl?” he asks, tilting his head to the side. “Especially one like you.” After the words leave his mouth, you search his face for a tinge of jest, but there’s none. He’s sincere.
“I just… I guess I never thought you’d like me,” you admit, sniffling – you laugh, realizing how pathetic you must look and sound right now.
“Are you kidding me?” Eddie says with disbelief. He begins moving your hair out of your face, tucking it behind your ears. Without giving it a second thought, he blurts, “I’m fucking crazy about you.”
Your laughing stops. Your eyes stare into Eddie’s. In a whisper, you admit: “I’m fucking crazy about you, too, Eds.”
And that’s all it takes for Eddie’s hand to cup your cheek as he brings his lips down to yours. His kiss is soft and slow, lips dancing against lips, and both of yours and Eddie’s eyes are fluttering shut as you each savor the moment, the moment you’ve both only dreamed of.
“Eddie,” you murmur as he breaks away panting, parting away from you only to catch his breath. He presses his forehead against yours with a sloppy smile. You close your eyes for a moment, catching your own breath, savoring the taste of Eddie on your tongue. “I’ve wanted that for a long time,” you sigh.
“Me too,” Eddie says, and this time he’s kissing you harder and faster than before. His tongue is swiping against your lips, begging for entry and you can’t help but wrap your arms around his neck and pull him closer, wanting to eliminate any space between the two of you.
“Silly girl,” he mumbles, his lips brushing against yours as he speaks. “Confused why I like you… why I think about you…” He starts planting desperate kisses on your forehead, over your eyelids. “You’re so beautiful,” he says, kissing your cheek. “So smart.” The other cheek. “So sweet to me.” Another.
Eddie’s lips combined with his words have you arching your back, turning your head to give him better access to your ear, the side of your neck, as he continues covering you in kisses. And it’s just as he’s leaning closer to you that you feel something taut and warm beneath his pajama pants. It’s pressing against your leg and, pretending you don’t notice it, you raise your leg just a bit, just enough so that it grinds against him. “Oh, fuck,” Eddie sighs, head falling slack on his shoulders. “I’m sorry. I’m –” he tries to say, but you shush him by placing your hand over the crotch of his pants.
“Shhh,” you say, giving him a reassuring smile. “I am, too,” you whisper, and fuck, if that’s not enough to get going Eddie going.
“You are?” he pants, his forehead against your forehead as you palm the soft fabric of his pajama bottoms. He grinds his teeth and shoots his head back. You nod into the crook of his neck, a small whimper escaping your mouth. “Mmhmm,” you hum, feeling wetness pool between your legs.
“Fuck, baby,” Eddie groans with a laugh. “We’re not – we’re not moving too fast, are we?” he asks, desperate to control his thoughts and movements. It’s taking everything in him not to rip both of your clothes off.
“N-no,” you say, bringing your hips up to his. “If I’m honest,” you say, kissing his neck, “I’ve thought about this so many times.” You trail kisses down his skin, then move to the other side. “When I drive home after we hang out,” you say, hormones overtaking you, “sometimes I can’t help but touch myself while thinking about you.”
Your words are like a drug to Eddie, injecting him with a sexual hunger he can barely control. He’s burying his face in your neck and putting his hands on your hips, holding you still so he can grind against you. “Keep going,” he begs.
“Then when I finally get to my room,” you continue, the filth of your description paired with the sweetness of your voice stirring something primal in Eddie, “I crawl into my bed. And I take my panties off.” You’re panting. “And I think about y-you–” Another moan escapes your lips as Eddie begins to lift the Hellfire Club shirt over your stomach, moving down your body and kissing over your belly, the fabric dangerously close to revealing your breasts. “And I think about your h-hands–” and then he’s lifting the shirt completely up, the cold air stirring your nipples erect, and he’s using one hand to grope your breast and pressing his face against it, taking your nipple into his mouth, sucking softly, while his hand massages the other. “Keep going,” he says around your supple flesh.
“And I think about your mouth,” you say, voice high, as his tongue soaks your nipple and then blows air on it, making it firm in his mouth. Then he’s giving equal treatment to your other breast and you can’t help but dig your fingers through his hair, grinding hard against his cock through his pants.
“What do you think about me doing to you?” Eddie asks, pulling the shirt back over your chest, kissing his way back down your belly. He reaches your abdomen and kisses above the waistband of your sweatpants. Then he’s hugging your legs over his shoulders and resting his head right between your legs, looking up at you with those big, brown eyes.
You look down at him, desperately wishing there wasn’t a thick layer of cotton between the two of you, and brush your fingers through his hair, “I imagine what you’d look like going down on me,” you say, knowing that’s exactly what you’re looking at. You buck your hips, pressing against him, and a sinister smile spreads across his face as he pushes you back down into the sheets.
“Yeah?” Eddie asks, untying the knot that was keeping the oversized sweatpants snug against your waist.
“I think about what your tongue would taste like on me,” you admit, lifting your hips so he can slide the pants off of you once untied. “In me,” you add, and Eddie’s standing up on his knees to pull his sweatpants off of you. Then he reaches over to the bedside table and opens a drawer, returning with a hair tie. He places it in his teeth as he pulls his hair back and ties it up in a loose ponytail. Next he lowers himself between your legs, gripping your thighs, fingers pressing so deep until there’s white spots forming under the pads of his fingertips. He looks up at you innocently and says, “You were saying?” before dragging his flattened tongue all along your wet opening up to the sensitive bundle of nerves that was your clit.
Your eyes squeeze shut as you sink into the pillow, the rain outside falling even harder. Lightning flashes, illuminating the room, and it’s the glow of Eddie’s white back – the muscles and movement of his shoulder blades in that blue glow – while his mouth continues working against you like a safecracker deciphering a code that knocks you out, that has you growling through your teeth.
“Eddie,” you plead, pulling his hair. You raise your hips and grind against him without shame.
Eddie just moans against you, content sounds purring from his throat as he eats and licks and slurps up your juices, him acting like a poor boy that’s been famished.
“Eds,” you warn him, feeling yourself getting close. The white hot heat is taking over, your vision blurring as you sink further into the pillow. “Eds, I’m so close,” you whimper, gripping and releasing his hair, hands flailing to the sheets where you grip them until your knuckles are white.
“Mmhmm,” Eddie says, refusing to remove his mouth. You dare to let yourself look down at him, and that’s what does it, seeing him with his nose pressed flat against you, his head tucked neatly between your bare thighs, his hair glued to his face in a sticky, sweaty mess, and his brown eyes blown out with lust, staring into yours.
“Fuck, Eddie,” you cry, squeezing his hair as you ride out your orgasm, Eddie still not moving. Just when you think it’s too much, you need a break, he’s coming back up, pulling your chin and planting a wet, sloppy kiss on your lips, and you’re tasting yourself on him.
“Holy shit, Eddie,” you pant, a tear shedding down your skin from the pleasure.
“That bad, huh?” he teases, wiping away the tear.
You laugh and then roll him over. “I want to return the favor.”
And Eddie has to resist from reaching inside of his pants and stroking his cock at you saying that in his Hellfire Club, sitting up on your knees like an innocent little bunny, staring up at him.
“Up,” you say, putting your hands on the waistband of his pants. They slide down with ease, and out springs his cock, already rock hard as it sits firm against his lower abdomen. Your mouth waters at the sight of the dark curls at the base, the soft hairs trailing up to his belly button.
You lift his cock up with one hand but first take his balls into your mouth, massaging them with your tongue, sucking softly. Eddie bucks his hips, laughing and squirming. “That tick – Oh,” he moans, looking up to watch you suck his balls. After playing with his balls, you slide your tongue up his shaft, before flicking your tongue over the slit. You suck on it gingerly and stare up at him through your eyelashes, loving the way he looks: eyebrows stitched together, mouth open, tongue licking his bottom lip, still tasting you on his skin.
You take him all the way in and Eddie hisses, biting his knuckle. “Fuuuck, baby,” he says, shaking his head. “I don’t know how much of this I can take,” he says, tossing and turning his head into the pillow. You smile and continue taking him in, gradually quickening your strokes.
“Baby, I –” Eddie tries to say, then he’s laughing at how he can’t get his words out, the pleasure too much for him. “Baby, come here,” he’s saying, and you’re not sure what he means, but then he’s holding your hair lovingly and guiding you on top of him until you’re straddling his hips.
“Is this okay?” he asks. You nod.
He reaches over to the side table and removes a small, thin gold tinted package. He rips it open with his teeth before expertly slipping the latex over his length. Then his hands are on your hips, and he’s guiding you over the tip, just letting the tip stroke up and down your pussy.
You try to sit down on him, but he holds you still, enjoying the tease. “You sure you’re ready?” he asks with a smirk, just wanting to hear you beg for it.
“Eddie,” you whine, holding his cock and aiming it over your hole. Finally, he softens his grip and you slide on, feeling him stretch you open. “Oh my,” you moan, falling forward and gripping his shoulders for stability. He’s not even in all the way and already your eyes are rolling back into your head. “Baby, you’re so big,” you mutter.
Eddie releases a satisfied growl. “Shhh,” he coos, massaging circles into your hips. “You can take it,” he assures you. He slides in deeper and then his cock is bottoming out and you’re releasing a strained groan – there’s pain, yes, but then electric pleasure is coursing through you just as lightning flashes in the room again. “Fuck me, Eddie,” you whine without thought.
And that’s all Eddie needs to take control and raise his hips back and forth, rocking you on his cock. His hands grip your waist, guiding you on him in smooth, fluid motions, and you’re not sure how much you can take, his cock hitting that special spot deep inside that has your eyes rolling into your head.
“God, you’re so beautiful,” Eddie says looking up at you. His hands grip your waist, guiding you expertly. “Doing so good riding my cock,” he says, and you’re not sure if he’s talking to you or admiring it himself, but either way his words do something to you.
You lean forward, hands falling onto Eddie’s neck, reaching behind his head and holding him still. “God, Eds,” you whine, swaying your hips back and forth on top of him. “Feels so fucking good,” you whimper.
Eddie’s hand is climbing up your chest to your neck and he’s holding you steady on top of him. “That’s it, baby, ride it out,” he coos.
Hearing his words, you can’t help but fall limp in his arms, sinking your face into his neck. He squeezes your hips and starts to get sloppy, his movements much less intentional the longer he goes. “Baby,” he whines, squeezing the back of your head against him as he continues to thrust. At this point you’re tired, only able to sit atop Eddie’s waist and let him drive himself inside you at his will. “Baby, I’m gonna cum,” he says, and his voice is laced with a desperation that has you feeling close to cumming a second time.
A wrangled cry escapes Eddie’s throat as he squeezes you against him, his cock hammering into the deepest part of you. You sink your teeth into his shoulder to muffle your own cries of pleasure and then you’re both panting, holding each other in your arms.
“Holy shit,” Eddie sighs. His hair is clinging to his wet, red-tinged face. “That was… holy shit.”
You can’t help but laugh, enjoying the feeling of his cock still buried inside of you, as you nuzzle into Eddie’s neck. “I concur,” you say, your words muffled against Eddie’s skin.
And for a while the two of you lie just like that – Eddie’s arms wrapped around your torso while you lie atop him with your nose burrowed into him, comforted and safe in his arms. The rain continues to fall, the only other sound being the soft breathing from you and Eddie. And as you lie there, chest against chest, you can’t help but smile and think that you were wrong about Murphy’s Law tonight: anything that can go wrong, may go wrong – but there was Eddie to make it right.
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esmedelacroix · 5 months
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3 days til' Christmas
in which husband!miguel o'hara helps you through abdominal pains in your pregnancy⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅̩̩͙‧͙ ‧͙̩̩͙❆ ͙͛ ˚₊⋆
4 days til' christmas ← previous part
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When they first started you panicked a bit. After having a phone call with your doctor you were able to calm down. That morning you had woken up with the usual vomiting but you also had cramps and you were spotting.
Your doctor reassured you, letting you know that it was completely normal to be spotting during pregnancy and there was nothing to worry about.
'If anything abnormal happens, you should definitely come to the hospital though,' Miguel thought it was your period finally coming back. You were glad you shook him off your tail because he was starting to suspect something was wrong.
That relief didn't help that it felt like something was stabbing you in the abdomen. The fact that you felt that pain while you were growing a human in there made you even more upset.
Miguel was in the kitchen making you some tea and getting you Advil to have with your water. You curled up in a fetal position, teeth digging into your plump bottom lip, fighting away the tears that stung your eyes.
No matter how hard you tried, you couldn't stop your tears from spilling. Just then Miguel walked in with your medicine, tea, and something for you to eat. "Did I keep you waiting?" Miguel asked as he sat next to you and helped you sit up against your bed frame.
He wiped your tears as he watched you take your medicine and slowly drink the tea he had prepared. Miguel always hated to see you in such pain during your period. He didn't like it when you cried. He didn't want you to feel distressed ever.
So he did what he could and he ran his hands through your hair in the way you liked. Your head was nuzzled into his chest, his heartbeat helping slow down your thoughts. Miguel was your safe space. He was your shelter from the storm of all your spiraling emotions.
"I love you," you mumbled into him.
"I love you more," he answered, planting a kiss on your temple. If his furnace of a body wasn't warming you up, the blood rushing to your cheeks from how soft and gentle Miguel was with you.
The two of you agreed on having yet another lazy day together. It broke Miguel's heart when you winced in pain occasionally holding onto him tighter when you felt sudden shocks of pain.
He couldn't do anything but rub your back and caress your stomach until it was time for your next dose and you could feel better again.
He knew that a lot of the time when you were experiencing cramps you played music or did something to distract yourself so he decided to put on one of your favorite comfort shows.
He didn't understand your deep emotional connection to a one-season animated show with only 10 episodes until he watched it with you and understood. Not only was the plot amazing, and the show hilarious, but it was also action-packed.
It also satisfied his urge to constantly match-make and gossip about things that are just not his business. You hated to enable this side of him but it was so silly to see him geek about things.
You enjoyed seeing Miguel talk about things that he was passionate about. It made his eyes light up in ways they never had before you truly got to know him. He loved when you asked him questions about his job and the specific sciences he studied all the time. He loved to teach you about the things that interested him so much that he dedicated his life to discovering different multiverses.
Most of all you loved it when Miguel came home to you. because every time he left to run the Spider Society there was a chance he wouldn't come back. You hated to see him all tattered up from a fight. But you loved to help him clean up. You loved being gentle with him when he was being treated the opposite way the whole day. You loved making him feel safe and the relieved look on his face the moment he saw you.
There was not a single period when you felt like you would be able to make it past the cramping stage until now. The overwhelming feeling of love and affection for Miguel overpowered the feelings of lain. Miguel was the father of your child and you couldn't have wanted anyone else to be that.
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve Eve and Miguel is taking me out on a date. Just have to get through two more days, then I can surprise him. You thought to yourself as you snuggled into Miguel and allowed his own snores to carry you to slumberland.
. . .
next part → 2 days til' Christmas
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taglist: @aripet22@to-the-endoftheline
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cosmoosims · 1 year
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the beginner's drama challenge by @cosmoosims
*base game only*
Eight generations, each with their own unique storylines and drama-filled tasks to complete! I started making this sometime last year when I had less packs and mods than I do now (I literally only have 4 packs lmao) and I wanted something base-game friendly that also forced me to play emotionally different than I do now.
This is a base game challenge but feel free to use any and all mods/packs/etc to make it your own!
Feel free to play along with me, and post your own images using the tag #bdc :)
GOOGLE DOC
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for the goals of each gen, click the google doc above!
Gen One: Evil Mastermind
Backstory Who says all villains are heartless? Despite aspiring to be the greatest criminal the world has ever seen, this Sim can’t help but want to begin a long, fulfilling generation. Being a criminal isn’t the wealthiest career but this Sim vows to give their children everything they want! Now, if only they could keep their evilness in check…
Gen Two: Adrenaline Junkie
Backstory Living with a criminal has turned this Sim into an adrenaline junkie! They crave adventure and anything that will get their heart racing. What better than to become a Secret Agent and work for S.I.M? As well as getting high on life, this Sim loves to make others laugh. Unfortunately, sometimes their jokes can be a little on the mean side, which doesn’t earn them many friends…
Gen Three: Homemade Hermit
Backstory This Sim's parent was always on the go-go-go and now all they want to do is settle down for a quiet life with only their paintings for company. Unfortunately, sometimes their independent nature gets the best of them, causing a rift in both family and friendships alike. Because of this, this sim is seldom happy tied to anyone, and often pushes others away. The only person they want to be with is a ghost they haven’t seen since their childhood…
Gen Four: Villainous Valentine
Backstory After living a sheltered life, this sim just wants to live a little! If that means breaking hearts left and right, then so what? Growing up alone has numbed them to human emotions, including their own. Oh, well! At least they have money to console them, and an increasing pile of bodies…
Gen Five: From the Ground Up
Backstory All this sim wants to do is rise to the top as an Athlete and destroy their competition. After running away from home as a teen, they're more motivated than ever to become the greatest. But their carelessness gets the best of them and soon they end up with too many kids and barely enough money to feed them! Guess it's time to pack up their dreams and crawl back home to a parent they hate…
Gen Six: Style Influencer
Backstory This sim’s parent did the best they could, but growing up with so many siblings really grated them the wrong way. There was no attention left for them! Now they’ve moved out and found their true passion in creating and crafting outfits, but that little spark of jealousy has never left them. Dating taken sims has its ups and downs, but one thing’s for sure; at least this sim is taking attention away from another!
Gen Seven: Ground Control to Major
Backstory This sim’s parent always had their head firmly planted in the ground, but they can’t help that theirs is somewhere up amongst the stars. Everything seems to be going well down on Earth, especially when they marry and have kids with the love of their life, but what could be going on up there on Sixam? What lies in the great expanse of space? This sim has to find out, even at the cost of their family…
Gen Eight: That’s 50’s Show
Backstory Having an absentee sim as a parent has messed this sim up in a big way, but they’re determined to work through it. Sure, a white-picket fence and kids running around the house is a dream for them, but it’s a lot harder to stay committed than it looks. Feeling trapped, this sim can’t help but reach out to someone that isn’t tied to as many responsibilities as their partner is…
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writerpetals · 1 year
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validation | 🔞
; optional male lead smut |  ☁️
w: hybrid-puppy male lead.
He is honestly a mess. An excitable, overly energetic mess even for a hybrid puppy, with two floppy ears on his head covered in shiny, black fur and a fluffy tail the same color that knocks over nearly everything when you enter your home each and every day. Even if he does break things often, however, you can never be mad at him. He loves attention. Craves your affection. And with his last owner kicking him out on the street for being too disruptive, you couldn’t turn the other cheek on him when he needed you.
You sigh his name in defeat, looking over the mess in front of your bedroom closet. Even if you try to have patience with him, there are some nights when you are too exhausted from work and too tired from cleaning his messes to deal with another one.
“Yes?” He answers while sitting with his legs crisscrossed on the floor and every pair of your shoes around him. He stares up at you, blinking, eyes wide, lips parted, not knowing what he did wrong, yet making it obvious that, just from your tone, he knows you aren’t happy with him.
“Why are my shoes all over the place?” Slowly, you exhale through your nose, trying to keep your cool because you know he probably had innocent intentions.
“I wanted to organize them for you, but…” His gaze lowers as his words fall short.
“But?” Your brow hitches, because you already knew the ‘but’ of the situation. Damn his heightened sense of smell.
“I guess I got distracted because they smelled like you and I just really, really missed you.” When he meets your eyes, his bottom lip protrudes slightly, causing annoyance to settle within you while sighing once again.
You lower yourself to your knees before him, picking up a pair of heels to toss back into the closet, watching him do the same with a set of your hiking boots. “I know hybrids aren’t known to the public yet, and you have to stay here to keep yourself safe and hidden, but can you please try not to make messes so often out of boredom?” You think you hear him gulp at the words regardless if you are trying your best to be sensitive to his situation.
It was by chance you even knew of him, having ran into him on a stormy night walking alone in the rain. The sight of him nearly startled you just as lightning crackled a few blocks down. However, the sight of his droopy, wet ears and tail sticking from beneath his shirt only took you by surprise for a moment. His blank, empty eyes drew you in, and his trembling voice when he told you his name made up your mind for you that you needed to help him. You needed to keep him safe and give him shelter.
“I’m sorry.” With his head down, he says the words you have come so accustomed to hearing, but you only release a heavy exhale before you stand from your bedroom floor. Instead of saying anything else, you make your way to your living room, slumping against the sofa in one exhausted motion, with your hand over your eyes to keep the light from amplifying your oncoming headache.
“Please don’t be mad at me.” His soft, hesitant voice as he takes a seat next to you fills your ears, seconds before two strong arms wrap around your waist and his head snuggles against your chest. “I don’t know what I’ll do if you’re mad at me.”
“I’m not mad.” You would have chuckled at his need for your approval if your head wasn’t pounding and your feet weren’t aching from having to run all over town in heels for a nagging boss. “Just, try to be careful of making messes… and watch that tail of yours.” This time, you did release a light giggle a moment before you feel him bury his nose into the crook of your neck.
Gulping, your eyes open as your hand falls to your side, taking in the moment with his arms holding you close and his breath against your skin. He has done such things before, always apologizing and always cuddling up to you so you would forgive him, and each time it has sent your senses into overdrive, knowing he is oblivious to the effects it has on your body.
Especially when you feel his tongue swipe across your neck. A completely innocent gesture to him has you a wreck in seconds, with goosebumps forming along your arms and you pressing your thighs together so that damn heightened sense of smell of his won’t give you away.
His name spills from your lips breathier than you intended, cheeks burning hot at the sound of your own voice while trying to wiggle from his grasp. “Don’t do that.”
“I wanna make it up to you,” he simply says before repeating the motion with his tongue while squeezing you harder.
“Okay, but just…” You take a deep breath, pausing with your eyes fluttering at his relentless tongue against your flesh. “Don’t lick me… I’m not a dog. I’m a human. It has a totally different meaning for us.” You find yourself giggling at the thought, until he releases a deep, raspy laugh against your skin.
“You think I don’t know that?” Your heart feels as if it drops a hundred feet to land in the pit of your stomach, wondering if you actually heard the words you thought he spoke, yet too afraid to ask.
“Uh, huh?” Your teeth sink into your bottom lip after mumbling to question him, hating yourself already for getting lost in his grasp, with his breath hot against your flushed skin and his mouth hovering over your neck.
“I’m more of a man than you realize,” he chuckles once again, sending a shiver down your spine. You have always seen him as a needy, little puppy, knowing he has been hiding the current side of himself from you for a long while and it was something you never expected to see. “And I always seem to upset you. I don’t mean to. I want you to be happy with me. So please, let me make it up to you.”
“H-How?” You gulp down any protests to ask the question, curiosity and desire filling you to the brim.
Until he pulls away, releasing you from his arms to leave you wanting more, eyes studying his figure while he grips the back of his black tank to pull over his head, allowing you to get a full view of every muscle tightening under your gaze. Your lips part, not even having the strength to lick the dryness away while focusing on him settling on his knees before you, an eager, playful smirk on his lips and his lids lowered, full of a sudden lust that has your thighs trembling.
“Lean back,” he instructs, voice softening a bit at your hesitation, clearly aware of your battle between what is right and wrong in your mind, until he leans forward a moment later. His lips connecting with yours has every muscle in your body frozen in place, too scared of giving in, yet when he deepens the kiss with a part of his lips, you can’t resist him. His skin feels like heaven against your own, his tongue slipping out to caress yours, causing you to whimper against his mouth from the electricity surging through you.
When he pulls away, his eyes and his expression have darkened. Lust consumes him, getting lost in the moment, getting lost in you, allowing you to realize he has thought about the situation many times before.
“I’ve wanted to do that for so long,” he confesses, your eyes growing a bit too wide once he presses his lips to yours once more, seconds before lowering his kisses to your cheek, and finally your neck.
Your heart flutters within your chest at feeling his gentle lips against your skin, and your thighs press together when his tongue tastes you again, and again, and again, all the while his hand finds its way to your exposed thigh, pushing your skirt just a bit higher.
“I’ve wanted to taste you for so long.” His honesty overwhelms you, growing bolder each second that passes while the words dance off your skin and his breath on your neck floods you with the same lust.
You realize you have never looked at him as even human, let alone a man with desires of his own, yet the facts crumble down on top of you when his hand reaches the band of your panties, fingers toying beneath your skirt as he settles between your thighs. It is evident, even for a hybrid, he is far more man than animal when his arousal presses against you, listening to the words he exhales with a raspy voice in your ear.
“It’s been so hard to resist you,” he admits, pausing to press lingering kisses here and there, “having to smell your scent all over the house and not being able to do anything about it.”
“Oh.. I…” you call for him, your mind wanting to tell him it is somehow wrong, yet your body betrays the thoughts when you roll your hips against him. “I-I don’t know if we should…”
“You have the sweetest, most intoxicating scent I’ve ever smelled…”
You squeak, embarrassment taking over your body. You know he could always smell your perfume lingering on sheets and clothes, but with his words in the moment you know he is referring to your natural aroma of arousal.
“I had to resist begging all those times I smelled you while you got ready in the morning, or during our hikes, or after your showers.” His mouth dips to the exposed skin on your chest, eagerly running his tongue near the buttons of your open blouse before raising a hand to pop a few more loose. The motion has you quivering beneath him, the lace of your black bra exposed for his eyes only. “I almost went crazy having to smell you on nights you’ve pleasured yourself.”
“Please!” Your tone raises in pitch, causing him to chuckle against your skin while pressing his lips to your exposed cleavage. “That’s so… oh my God, I’m so embarrassed. I didn’t know you knew. I would have… I mean… I wouldn’t have…”
“Relax,” he laughs innocently, though his actions are far from innocent while reassuring you with a gentle caress of his palm against your thigh. The sudden shift in personality as his hormones take control overwhelms your mind and body, only being able to mumble his name here and there as he speaks. “It’s okay, believe me. Even though I had to pretend I didn’t notice, I wouldn’t have it any other way. The only thing I didn’t like was when you would bring guys home…”
“Oh…” Instantly, guilt fills you from his evident jealousy. You always wondered why he would ignore your male guests, or lowly growl at them as a warning any time he walked past. Now you know, and the weight of the realization begins hitting you hard. “I-I had no idea…” Words catch in your throat once he tugs on the last few buttons of your blouse, allowing the silk to fall open while he takes in the sight of your breasts, chest falling up and down rapidly in the moment, licking his lips and drinking you in.
“I want to be yours,” he tells you honestly, head dipping lower to drag his tongue down your stomach, all the way to your belly button. “I want to make you happy, make you feel good, to please you. I want to be yours and only yours, to do any and everything you want me to.”
“I don’t-don’t know what to say.” Not like you can even think of something to say with the way he pulled the zipper of your skirt from the side, before hooking his fingers inside and tugging the fabric down your legs. You lay before him in your unbuttoned blouse, black bra and matching panties, eyes shutting tight due to the intensity of his gaze, body trembling, yet needing his touch more than ever.
“I want to be yours,” he repeats, kissing just above your pantyline between words. “Please make me yours.” And you aren’t sure if his words come from his human side, or the animal side, or just the need to be needed, but you know, just like the first time you saw him, you can’t turn him away.
“Okay,” you exhale, every syllable shaking as it leaves your lips.
“Say it,” he suddenly begs, staring up at your wide eyes with need pouring from his own. “Please, I want to hear you say it. Tell me I’m yours. Tell me I’m yours and only yours.”
For a moment, you want to protest, to decline any idea at claiming him as if he were only an animal, but his gaze, the intense focus in his eyes, has you doing the opposite. “You’re mine.” With a hand reaching for him, your fingers thread between the strands of his hair. “You’re mine and only mine.”
An exhale spills from his lips, as if he were waiting to hear the words from the moment he met you, with his eyes lowering to focus on your panties as he tugs the flimsy fabric lower and your head falls back against the cushion of the couch.
“Tell me what to do,” he groans, fingers lingering in the band of your panties when his gaze settles on your face once more.
“Wh-what?” you gasp, the ache between your legs growing beyond your limit, needing his mouth on you before you lose control of your senses.
“Tell me how to please you.” You think you hear him inhale deeply, taking in your scent while the words strain against his tongue as he speaks, needing you to guide him, tell him what to do, order him around and allow him to listen to every command. “Please, I need to hear you say it. Tell me how to make you feel good.”
“I… I can’t.” Your brows wrinkle, not daring to open your eyes and look at him in fear of losing your composure, knowing already of the wide eyes and quivering bottom lip he sports when he wants to make you happy, when he wants guidance and approval.
“Please,” he groans again, the word deep, raspy, needy as it rolls off his tongue, “please, I just need to hear the words. Tell me what you want me to do to make you feel good.”
You know he won’t give in, needing you to give him orders and needing to hear the words full of embarrassment, yet full of desperation, as they pour from your lips. “I-I want you to take my panties off.” Your skin burns hot with each syllable spoken, yet he is quick to obey. He nearly snaps the band of your panties from the way he eagerly pulls them down your legs to toss aside. A moment later he takes a deep breath, your scent flooding his nostrils to have him groaning from between your thighs.
“God, you smell incredible.” He can’t resist pressing his lips to your inner thighs, showering your trembling legs with kisses for a moment as the room spines around you. “Tell me what to do next to make you feel good.”
You knew the request was coming, yet your anticipation doesn’t falter, nor does your racing heart. “Here,” you instruct, gaining a sliver of confidence upon noticing his willingness to obey, “kiss me here.” With shaking fingers, the digits between the strands of his hair guides him to your already dripping center.
When his lips meet the slick skin of your folds, your entire body begins to shake, feeling him press kiss after kiss from the top of your slit, over your clit, and down to your entrance, coating his mouth in your arousal while you whimper his name in breathy releases. Two hands against your thighs keep you from closing your legs around him, already lost in the pleasure, the anticipation, and the absolute need to receive his bliss.
“Use… use your tongue...” The words are nearly swallowed down as you command him, a moment later feeling him lick a stripe from your center to your clit with the flat of his tongue. Back arching from the couch and fingers tightening around the strands of his hair, you moan curses between calling his name, suddenly so unafraid and unashamed to give him the guidance he so desperately seeks. “God, just like that.”
His tongue circling your clit a few times before drawing up and down your slit has your head falling back, body arching and legs quivering while his grip on your thighs tightens. The satisfied groan from him thanks to your breathy commands of ‘please, don’t stop’ only adds to the electrifying bliss coursing through you, vibrations between your thighs from his mouth causing your jaw to slack and for moan after breathless moan to escape your body. You can’t control your hips from grinding against his mouth, getting all the pleasure he has to offer and then more, barely hearing his deep groans and near growls against your body, but feeling each one surging through you entirely.
“Your fingers,” you gasp the words, feeling his mouth against the hood of your clit as he sucks lightly to drive you wild, “use your fingers. Please.” Each strained word leaving your mess of a body is enough to have him release your thigh, lining the tips of two fingers up to your entrance to ease them within your already clenched walls. Your dripping arousal makes it effortless to begin pumping the digits in and out, your whimpers and cries of his name filling the room when he curls them inside of you, continuing to suck on your clit all before returning the motions of circling with a relaxed tongue.
You can feel the pressure rising as your release nears. Bliss overwhelms your body, from your curled toes to your head lolled back and your eyes shut tight. You call his name again and again, slipping a few curses in between begging him not to stop, feeling the noises he makes against your body from the satisfaction of pleasuring you and each second that passes is a second closer to coming undone thanks to the hybrid’s tongue and fingers.
“Don’t stop,” you whimper, rolling your hips against his mouth and against his motions of curled fingers massaging within you, “please, don’t stop, I’m so close.” Your breath grows ragged, your chest swells with a deep inhale, and your voice becomes silent once the first wave of ecstasy overtakes your mind, body, and senses.
You shake beneath him upon surge after surge of bliss, legs twitching before pressing tight against his puppy ears with fingers tugging at the locks of hair on his head. Releasing a gasp, you begin to settle as post-pleasure sensations roll through you, grinding your hips against his tongue to receive every last drop he offers and even as you begin to come down from the high, he continues to lick up and down your ever so swollen and sensitive slit after removing his fingers.
“I’m yours,” he mumbles between licks of your folds and kisses against your flesh, “all yours and no one else’s.” Finally, you begin to push him away. The sensitivity after bliss quickly becomes too much to bear, with your legs slacking on each side of him and your hands falling to rest against the sofa.
His lips trail up to your stomach once again, peppering your skin coated in a sheen of sweat from the pleasure with sweet, gentle kiss after kiss. His hands remain at your sides, fingers gripping your hips as if he were claiming you as well, and you allow him to return the gesture while raising a hand to push away loose hair from his forehead. A moment later, you brush back his floppy ears, allowing him to rest between your legs with his cheek against your stomach as he happily hums the fact of him being yours over and over.
Just as quick, the puppy side of him takes over, wanting nothing but your affection while snuggling close, and the fact has you giggling to yourself. As surprising as his actions have been while needing to be yours and only yours, you realize you have to deal with both the manly and animal sides of him if you are to take care of him. And as messy and excitable as he is, you are beginning to see that he is more than capable and willing to make it up to you.
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bigfatbreak · 1 year
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ask stolen from zoe-onesama Speaking of Émilie, do you think that she could have been a bad mother before her death, coma, or disappearance? Because, from what I've heard, Émilie had been dead, in a coma, or missing for about a year before the events of MLB, and if Adrien had been homeschooled for about most of his childhood, then that could indicate that his mother was aware of this and didn't do anything about it. Either Émilie was overprotective of Adrien and his wellbeing that she and her husband had to shelter him from the public, or that she was in a horrible situation with her husband from behind the scenes, ergo feeling powerless to do something about her son's sheltered life. There are so many things to imagine who Émilie was really like, but so far, we don't have enough substance to even care about her.
At the risk of spoiling how I'm characterizing Emelie in my AU,
I'm more leaning towards the idea that she was the first to be overprotective of Adrien. I think, initially, Gabriel didn't care as much about having a child as much as he did about pleasing his wife, that Emelie was the one who wanted Adrien more.
Because of this and because he's a sentimonster, I imagine Emelie wanted to closely monitor him and ensure he was developing as a normal child should, that nothing went wrong in his "creation." Being a mother AND a creator of a life form I imagine would spur on some really hard worries, and since we don't actually have an indication of what Gabriel was like beforehand, its more likely he didn't care what Emelie did with her new toy child, only that her wants were sated.
I think Emelie was overprotective to a worrying degree, but because she genuinely loved Adrien and since it came from a place of love, though it was unhealthy, I wouldn't instantly categorize it as abusive. She clearly gave him a lot of attention and put a lot of work into making sure he was educated, (we know this because after her death Adrien got desperate enough to start sneaking out and running away) and I think this habit only got worse as her illness settled in.
With how sick she got, I imagine she also ended up being at home more often than not, which meant... well, more time with Adrien. I don't think it occurred to her that, should she die, she should set up precautions to ensure Adrien eventually got that same love and attention after her death. I think she was more occupied with spending time with him in what time she had left, it really wasn't a thought that struck her, that maybe, just maybe, the guy who was married to her because he loved HER and was COMPLETELY AMBIVALENT ABOUT THEIR CHILD wouldn't care what happened to Adrien after his wife died.
The characterization I'm leaning on for my AU at least, is that Emelie wanted a child and Gabriel just wanted her happy. Because of this, after her passing, the realization that he never saw Adrien as human became abundantly clear. He instead saw Adrien as a product of his wife's work, which is the reason he never let him outside. I think if Gabriel had it his way, Adrien would sit on a shelf with his miraculous and his wife's Movie and their little mementos n' shit.
TDLR: I don't think Emelie was in an abusive relationship with Gabriel at all, but I don't think any of the dynamics at play were healthy. I don't think Gabriel EVER saw Adrien as his son, instead seeing him as a product of his wife - no different than if she had made a sweater or sculpted a statue. I think, initially, Emelie was overprotective of Adrien as a precaution to ensure that as a sentimonster, he 'grew up' healthy like any other child, and as her illness took her and she became more and more of a homebody, she leaned on his support and his presence as a comfort in her last days. I think if Emelie knew Gabriel had been so ambivalent about their son, she would've put a lot more work into ensuring Adrien got out eventually.
Maybe she did. Maybe, she made a will, and maybe Gabriel ignored it because he's so god damn proud.
Or maybe, she was hoping Nathalie would step in.
Then again maybe I'm totally wrong! Maybe Gabriel used to be really cool and they lived in this giant supermansion together and the guy just went ape shit after his wife died. I just think the weird leaps he's taking should be an indicator that something has always been VERY WRONG with Gabriel and maybe Emelie, too! I'm not talking abuse, I'm talking like...
ok so I've lost a lot of people in my life and I lost some important people at a very young age and that damaged me super fuckin' bad. you know what I DIDN'T daydream of? Putting their fucking corpses in like a deprivation tank and finding a way to bring them back to life.
WE DON'T KNOW IF GABRIEL KNEW THE MIRACULOUS COULD GRANT WISHES WHEN EMELIE DIED.
WE DON'T.
we know Gabe and Nathalie and Em like, went adventuring and shit! We know (or as far as I remember from the website) Nath found the peacock and butterfly miraculous, and that eventually Emelie used the peacock and that's what killed her.
We don't know... how much... Gabriel knew about the miraculous before that. Listen, if he knew that the cat and ladybug miraculous were capable of Doing That Shit (aka granting wishes if put together), wouldn't he have kickstarted his plans instantly into evil fuckery to try and find them instantly? I can't imagine a guy desperate enough to plonk his dead wife into a clear coffin would go on eBay listings trying to find them for a fuckin year.
What I'm getting at is that it seems like Gabe idolized Emelie or their relationship on some level, and that he defined himself by how he loved her. So when he LOST her, when he lost that column of his life, his real character was drawn out. Grief makes the worst of us yeah, but we have no clear indication that Gabriel KNEW there would be a method for bringing Emelie back when he hid her corpse under their mansion.
like that's some unhinged shit.
its ALSO some unhinged shit I don't think Gabriel would ever let Emelie know he was capable of while she was still alive, I think he valued her and her opinion and her happiness too much.
I just woke up so Ive gone clear past normal conversation and straight into ranting, but essentially I think Gabriel's weird shitty personality traits were sated by being married to someone he defined himself by, and that he was always capable of being an abusive fuckhat but would never show that in front of Em. I think he's never seen Adrien as more than a byproduct of Emelie and if Em knew he was going to do this insane shit, considering she was also unhinged enough to have a baby using a fukcking magic god bird brooch, she would've taken Adrien, maybe with Nathalie, and fucking DIPPED.
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draemgal · 9 months
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I neeeeeeeed some Cassian X reader. The poor baby bat doesn't get enough love.
I need Fluff! Smut! Kicking my feet in the air cuteness!!! Break my heart angst!!!!
Okay... maybe a story where the reader feels a little forgotten because her childhood was like that? She's scared to be abandoned and shoved away.
making the bed | cassian
push away all the people who know me the best, but it’s me who’s been making the bed.
inspired by making the bed by olivia rodrigo
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hi anon! hope you are well<3 thank you for requesting!
cassian. he was everything you could ever ask for in a mate. he was kind, funny, compassionate, loyal, well-rounded. so why, why were you here, crying with your head in your hands?
stupid. that’s what it was.
you knew what you signed up for, that accepting a mating bond with the lord of bloodshed meant that he would go on missions, he would train a large amount of his day, he’d attend meetings with the inner circle.
but when he left, when the house was empty, when his side of the bed had gone cold, you were right back where you started.
you were back in your childhood home, waiting for your parents to give you attention. for them to stop doting on your siblings and give you a grain of their approval, of their time. but that never came. you wanted a whole piece but you got scraps—breadcrumbs if you were lucky.
so you sat and cried. you let your inner child pour out, you let your body shake with sobs. you let yourself feel alone, because it was more comfortable than convincing yourself that someone you loved hadn’t left.
all rationality went out the window. you didn’t listen to your brain telling you that cassian loved you, no. you listened to the thoughts saying that you didn’t deserve his attention. that he was withholding it as punishment for something you didn’t know you did.
you don’t remember the moment he came into the room, when his strong calloused hands found yours. when he pulled your hands off your eyes, when he kissed the tears that fell.
“c-cas?” you choked, quickly wiping your tears.
“what’s wrong baby? i just got home, why didn’t you send me a message through the bond?”
you sniffed and pressed your head into his shoulder, inhaling his scent. you grounded yourself, allowing the reassurance of him being here course through your veins.
“because it’s all so stupid, cas.” you muttered, your voice still delicate as if it was a glass vase on the edge.
“nothing that’s got you this upset could ever be stupid, love.” he whispered, smoothing your hair as he laid down, pulling you with him.
your ear pressed against his chest, you let the sound of his heartbeat calm you. you inhaled before looking up at him through glossy eyes.
“i know you know about my past, but sometimes being alone brings me back. it isn’t anything you did, it isn’t your fault. it just gets to me, the loneliness, i guess.”
he frowned, pulling your face closer to him and placing a soft, gentle kiss that sent shots of love through your bond. “i’m sorry baby. i know it’s gotta be hard for you, but i’m only one call away for you. things have been crazy since hyburn, i know that. but i promise as soon as this all washes over, rhysand won’t be able to get me away from you with a crowbar.”
you giggled lightly as his lips met your forehead. “i just wish there was something i could do for you so you aren’t so alone.”
you smirked and looked up at him, cocking your head innocently. “well, actually…”
“what is it, pretty girl?” he furrows his brows expectantly, his hands still cupped around your flushed face.
“i was thinking… maybe if i get a dog, i wouldn’t be so lonely.” you smiled wide, giving him pleading eyes that made his heart sing.
he rolled his eyes, laughter booming as he grabbed a pillow and hit you with it. you squealed, grabbing the pillow and countering the attack.
“i’m serious!” you pleaded, frowning at him.
“i’ll think about it.” he said, knowing damn well his first step tomorrow would be to the animal shelter.
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katerinaaqu · 2 months
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Continuing from Part 2
Guilt (P3 + Footnotes)
"Odysseus" Meriones approached him, "Are you alright?"
Odysseus winced in pain. He hadn't realized he had clenched his fist so hard that it hurt him. He unclenched it.
"Yes..." he whispered, "Yes, I'm fine..."
Odysseus moaned. That baby...the look at that infant's face...Astyanax was gone...he had given his place to Telemachus. Priam's slain face was Laërtes...mourning Andromache was his wife... He grasped his head with both hands.
"Damn you Neoptolemus! Damn you Helen for starting it! Damn you Menelaus for dragging me into this... Damn you Palamedes! Damn you all! Why should I have taken this blood upon me?! Why did it have to be me?!"
He sighed.
"Polites...I want to be alone for a little while..."
"Do you think that is wise...?" Polites asked with hidden meaning.
"Wise!" Odysseus voiced like an echo, "No, perhaps not but I got tired of being wise for now..."
Polites sighed.
"At least add some water to your wine...please Odysseus"
Odysseus dismissed him with a move of his hand. He wasn't much in the mood for anything at that moment. He knew war wouldn't be pleasant but these events of just one night were taking the cake. He was exhausted; sleepless for two nights and a full day and right now the Sacker of Cities, the Man of Many Ways was terrified. He collapsed again and his tears overflowed from his eyes, wetting the table below. He grasped his wet hair with his fingers as if he was ready to uproot them.
"Gods! Please Athena, please, I beg of you...if you love me...p-protect my son! Let the miasma fall on me! Not him! I-I...I just wanted to g-go home! I just wanted to see them again...my Penelope...my Telemachus...! I-I never meant for this to happen! P-Please...! I beg of you if you love me...p-protect my son! Don't let the gods' wrath fall upon their heads! P-Please...! F-Forgive me! I...I just...I just wanted to go home!"
He couldn't decide what to pray for first... Words cascaded out of his mouth without any coherent way or syntax. He only prayed desperately, wetting with his tears the table. Sun was already setting and Troy was taken...but at what cost...
*
Menelaus and Agamemnon entered Odysseus's hut one after the other.
"I gotta give it to you, Odysseus!" Agamemnon said, "You WERE telling the truth when you said you could take Troy in one night!"
Odysseus was collapsed upon his chair, looking at them with an unreadable expression to his face. The jug was resting empty somewhere after the feet of his seat.
"Hm..." he hummed, "That's me. I am the trickster, remember? I lie, I scheme and I trick. That is what I do"
Agamemnon raised a brow.
"Are you drunk?!" He asked in disbelief
"One more shame to add to the events of this night..." Odysseus replied bitterly.
"Shame? I do not understand. We finally sacked the city. You can finally go home."
"Home..." Odysseus whispered, "I wonder...what shall I say to Penelope when she asks? Or Telemachus? If he asks 'father what did you do and you were away?', 'I was at war, my son', 'did you fight honorably and sack many cities?'... What shall I say for what we've done...?"
"I do not understand you Odysseus. It was your idea"
"Yeah somehow I do not doubt it..." Odysseus mumbled bitterly, "I was wrong, Agamemnon. This was not what I imagined...what I planned..."
He sighed shifting his position a bit to his chair.
"Priam is dead, you know that..."
"Yeah, like we expected to-..."
"On the altar. On the freaking altar, Agamemnon..."
"Yeah I heard..."
"Imagine that happening to any of us...in our homelands. If one cannot respect the holy laws then what?"
He played a bit with his empty cup.
"Priam murdered on the altar...Cassandra raped mercilessly and now Ajax looks for shelter to the very same altar he dragged her out of, to avoid being stoned to death..." the king of Ithaca rubbed the bridge of his nose, "...death...death and fire everywhere..."
"Odysseus..." spoke Menelaus, "I understand that you are grieving, it was not easy or pleasant but..."
"The boy...he was the same age as my son! Thrown off the wall..."
"Odysseus" Agamemnon spoke again, "I honestly don't understand you. Others would fly from joy with your glory. You had a good plan and it worked. Thanks to you we can all go home."
Odysseus's eyes became bottomless. Even Agamemnon had to lower his gaze against it.
"The blasphemy put us under the anger of gods, Agamemnon. Remember that. Listen..."
Agamemnon seemed like indeed trying to listen something.
"The Trojans are not the only ones mourning. We lost many good men too. We lost Achilles. Or have you forgotten?"
Agamemnon sighed deeply.
"His loss...was tragic indeed" he finally said, "we had our differences but his loss was a great price..."
"Quite so..." Odysseus whispered, "was it really worth it? The price we had to pay to sack Troy?"
He shifted his weight to his chair lethargically. He rubbed his forehead with his free hand for a second. The dizziness bad settled for real in his brain. He leaned his head back again, earning a small cracking sound from his neck.
"And since we are at it, I have a question for you, Agamemnon, son of Atreus, the first among the Greeks... What did the Trojans REALLY do to us to deserve such an end?"
"You're drunk! You don't know what you're talking about!"
Odysseus snorted humorlessly.
"Oh, I am drunk, alright. But I know exactly what I am talking about. And you do too. They took Helen, sure, or at least one of them did. But their real crime against us was that they protected their lands...from us. That's what we would have done as well..."
Agamemnon was ready to speak again but Menelaus stopped him.
"Brother, that's enough"
He then turned ti Odysseus sympathetically.
"Look, Odysseus, I understand that it hurts and I am sorry too that I put you through that indirectly, but please do not melt away. No matter what the actions of others was not your choice."
Odysseus said nothing. He only sighed.
"Will you join us at the games later? You are the hero of the day. Your presence is asked for."
Odysseus scoffed.
"Oh I will be there, alright. I never miss a good party!"
Menelaus smiled sadly.
"Thank you, Odysseus...for everything. I really mean it... I will see you later, when you sober up a little..."
He looked at his friend and added;
"And...we shall mention none...of this" he pointed at him indicating his condition.
Odysseus soullessly nodded as if wanting to attempt some humor.
"Thanks...I appreciate it"
Agamemnon was ready to say something but apparently he decided against it. He only sighed and turned to leave before finally asking;
"Will you come to take a pick from the spoils? You deserve it given it was thanks to you we got in"
The tired king made a dismissive move with his hand.
"No. I'm fine with whatever. Just include me to the next lottery" he replied indifferently
"Are you sure? You deserve a better share"
Odysseus smiled humorlessly.
"Last time I chose and defended my choice, we lost Aias the Telamonian. I think we lost enough for one decade, don't you think?"
It was a failure of attempt for humor and he knew it but Agamemnon only sighed.
"Suit yourself" he said defeated, heading for the exit
Menelaus was about to do the same but apparently something made him stop and turn around.
"Odysseus?"
"Hm?"
"Thank you...truly... You gave me back my honor
Odysseus snorted again.
"With the cost of mine..." he whispered bitterly, "Not that anyone ever thought I had any..."
The king of Sparta, though, shook his head negatively.
"To me you will always be the greatest of all Greeks"
The man who endured all torments looked up and for the first tike a small smile rose to his dry lips. That word of kindness was what he needed for his tormented heart to feel some sort of hope. At least there was finally one who neither blamed him nor glorified him. Menelaus saw his torment and responded. That was enough.
"Thank you..." he whispered
Menelaus nodded his head in return.
"Now rest, my friend. We have a long way before us...we are going home..."
Home...the tormented king of Ithaca thought. Yes, finally they could go home. After 10 endless years they could finally embrace their families. Just few more months of journey and Odysseus could finally go home... All he had to do was to learn to live with what he did... He watched both the kings through his cloudy vision, getting out of his tent and Polites coming back in.
"I am sorry, Odysseus! I couldn't stop them!"
Odysseus dismissed him with a hand gesture once more.
"Don't sweat it, Polites. Stopping a king seems impossible. Gods help us with two!"
Polites smiled softly. At least he would gain some of his humor back, he thought.
"Help me get to my bed, Polites..." sighed Odysseus hoarsely, "I need to rest... I am very tired..."
~~~~
Oh gosh what have I done?! Hehehehe well not sorry...not really! 😆 I hope you enjoyed this ride.
As you see I tried incorporating some of the Epic Cycle to the situation but I did tamper around with the timeliness. The Epic Cycle is a lovely mess anyways and holds many contradictions with the homeric poems but it includes many things.
Now the fragmentary poem Iliou Persis is sven mentioned how Odysseus throws Astyanax off the walls but most sources have Neoptolemus donit and I do agree with those more. Now in Trojan Women by Eurypedes the messenger Talthybius tells Andromache that Odysseus schemed so that her son would be thrown off the walls and that he persuaded the Greeks they couldn't raise the baby. Odysseus doesn't strike much as a baby killer in Odyssey or even the Iliad although he is known for being cruel in his punishments (see the excecution of the 50 conspiring slave girls) but nowhere jn Odyssey does Odysseus refer to that fact even if he does speak of his regrets for other actions of his and if he HAD thrown Astyanax off the walls himself I doubt he wouldn't have made any reference to it so I believe that Iliou Persis should he treated like Telegony when it comes to the homeric poems; a bit contradictory to the homeric epics (unless there is some lost fragment that tells us how Odysseus went on a rampage he could not remember lol 😆 ) so I made a mixture of all the above to show how Odysseus "killed" Astyanax or subconsciously persuaded the Greeks to do it and I added the role of Talthybius here too.
Iliou Persis seems to also be the most violent form when it comes to the Greek side such as that they offer Priam's daughter Polyxene to Achilles's tomb as a sacrifice, thus causing the rage of Athena (I swear the thing was written by a Trojan lol 😆) Eurypedes mentions how Polyxene was offered as slave to Achilles symbolically so she should serve his tomb. I also added the detail of Odysseus trying to persuade Neoptolemus to choose her as his price to speak Andromache but his attempts are a failure.
Drunkenness was severely discouraged in ancient geeece thus the concern in Polites's words when Odysseus uses it as a coping mechanism for the traumatic events of the night. Moreover the Greeks always mixed their wine with water (thus having the modern name for wine in Greek κρασί which comes from the verb in ancient greek which means "to mix") the wine that was not watered was called άκρατον and it was qlmost never consumed unless dipped in bread. The analogy between wine and water depended.
In this story I depict Neoptolemus as somehow a nemesis to Odysseus. Similar to what Agamemnon or Hector were for Achilles. I have no idea why but the idea stuck with me especially since the two are the two candidates for the murder of Astyanax. Somehow I imagined them again as the polar opposites thus the two of them having tension.
Odysseus mentions Thersites who was beaten really badly by him in the Iliad. In other sources it is mentioned that Odysseus has him stoned to death after Theraites attempts treason. In this story Thersites was already dead.
I know that for Palamedes the most famous version of his end comes from Hygenius who writes how Odysseus frames him for treason. However Pausanias mentions from the Epic Cycle that Palamedes drowned at a fishing expedition and that "he believes the murderers were Odysseus and Diomedes". 🤔 somehow I wanted to use a lesser known version plus give a bit room to doubt for instance did Palamedes really fell by accident and Odysseus is guilty for not helping? Or perhaps Odysseus pushed him? Maybe he held him under? Dunno. Leave it to your imagination. I know is not so spicy as the framing story but bare with me hehehe
Talthybius here simply hears "it was Odysseus who planned it" thus sending that information yo Andromache without the rest of the details..
Astyanax uttering a word was totally random. If he were an infant a few months old or almost a year old in Iliad that means he would be around 1 to 1.5 years old when Troy fell so I thought it would be more impactful if the poor baby uttered a word before his end.
The interaction with Andromache was placed there for the dramatics and the impact. When Andromache screams "MY BOY!" I was inspired by the series "The Tudors" when Anne Boleyn laments her final miscarriage (by the way I think Natalie Dormer would make an amazing Andromache!)
The story with Palamedes was also added to make the connection between two mothers and their impact to Odysseus. Plus I thought it would make more sense if Odysseus was furious not only for being embarrassed or that he has to go to war but because Palamedes put his son in danger. (Of course Penelope would be part of that scheme!)
Odysseus refusing to participate at the choice of spoils was just a random detail but as a general rule from Eurypedes it seems that he eats the old Ekavi (Hecuba) as his slave (probably she would be to serve Penelope( so I imagined Odysseus wouldn't want to choose but getting whatever would be lucky for him to further implicate that he wouldn't want anything further to do with the war. He also mentions the incident when Telamonian Aias (aka the great Ajax) went mad when Odysseus won Achilles's armor from him and then he killed himself in shame.
I also wanted to portray the friendship between Menelaus and Odysseus which seems to be really strong since Menelaus always talks with the warmest words for Odysseus.
For further questions and analysis please ask me to the comment section or reblog etc!
I wanna also tag some of my best friends commenters rebloggers etc! Thank you guys! Sorry if I forget anyone!
@loco-bird @aaronofithaca05 @tunguszka20 @doob-or-something @jarondont @prompted-wordsmith @simugeuge @fangirlofallthefanthings
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