#and to reunite her own missing pieces back to herself

[in1-nutshell]

Elita One's twin sister with SG Blackarachnia's personality reuniting with Optimus Prime

SFW, Angst, some hurt, some comfort, Cybertronian (Techno Organic) reader

part 1

While Buddy had made a name for herself amongst the Decepticons, the three Autobots who made it back to Cybertron took a different turn.

Optimus wracked with guilt, took the fall for the entire situation

He was stripped from the academy and placed on spacebridge repairs. Filled with guilt over loosing his best friend which was another factor in his ability to make decisions.

He would constantly play the scene over and over again in his mind think of all the ‘what if’s’ and ‘should haves’.

Elita One and Sentinel only continued on their training and made it to the Elite Guard.

Sentinel held much resentment and anger whenever Buddy was mentioned. He missed his friend dearly but his anger was placed squarely on Optimus and would remain until then.

Elita for some time was a hollow shell of the bot she used to be

She couldn’t stop thinking about her final moments with Buddy and her last actions.

Buddy’s last actions to save her twin.

Buddy chose her life over herself.

Elita eventually pushed down the feelings and began focusing on the Guard to cope with the loss.

Time skip of Team Prime being on Earth

Buddy knew of the existence of the Autobots on Earth. She knew well that Optimus was their leader. Despite a part of her being proud of her friend leading a team, and leading them well in battle, she didn’t want to see him. Maybe in the future, but now, she wasn’t ready to ‘face the music’ as the locals said.

Anyways she had other problems to worry about.

The makeshift med bay was running low on steel. With the number of injuries everyone was getting was running the reserves dry. So, it was time to go scavenging for more materials.

“Where are you going?”--Megatron

“A steel run. Nothing special my lord.”--Buddy

“I can send Lugnut or Blitzwing to get the steel. You don’t need to go out of the base. You’re needed here on base as our medic.”--Megatron

“Blitzwing is in the medbay and needs the steel along with everyone else on base. Without him, Lugnut is most likely to bring the steel in so many pieces they will look like rust. I’m useless here. I know a place where I can get enough steel to get in and out of there quickly.”--Buddy

“Do not say that.”--Megatron

“Don’t worry my Lord. It’s by the docks and should be fairly quick to get everything. Though I should probably stop saying tht it will be easy so I don’t jinx it—”--Buddy

“Not that. You called yourself useless. You are many things but useless is not one of them.”--Megatron

“… And what do you mean by that my Lord?”--Buddy

“I mean—”--Megatron

“Lord Megatron! Hothead started a fight with Lugnut—”--Starscream

BANG!

“…”—Starscream, Megatron, and Buddy

“I believe that is my cue to leave. Good luck with the clean up!”--Buddy

Buddy made it to the docks and began digging around for any spare beams. She didn’t like dealing with humans too much and causing too much trouble. They have their own lives and troubles to worry about, they don’t need her on the list too.

“Finally! The last beam and I’m outta here!”--Buddy

“Achoo!”—Sari

Buddy looks down to see Sari standing there looking up at her.

“I just had to jinx it…”—Buddy

Sari didn’t know what to do.

She was just trick or treating with Bumblebee and Bulkhead when she heard some noise coming from one of the warehouses nearby and gave the guys a bit of a slip as she went ahead to investigate.

Sari and Buddy were just looking at each other for a bit.

“Umm… hello?”--Buddy

“What’s your name?”--Sari

“Oh? My name is Buddy. I know I look a little scary but, I’m not going to hurt you.”--Buddy

“Yeah, I can tell. You don’t look threatening or anything. Weird looking from the other Bots’ but definitely not scary.”--Sari

“…really?”--Buddy

“Nope! Sure, some things look kind of weird but not scary. What are you doing with those steel beams? You’re not stealing them are you?”--Sari

“…In my defense I’m taking from the pile that ordered more than what they needed. I need them for my med kits.”--Buddy

“Oh! You should talk to Ratchet about those! Hey, You can come with me!”--Sari

“I’m sorry…”--Buddy

“I’m Sari.”--Sari

“Oh? Peculiar little name… it suites you.”--Buddy

“Thanks—you’re a Decepticon!?”--Sari

“Yes I am but—”--Buddy

“Sari!”--Bumblebee

“This night keeps getting better…”--Buddy

That was when Bumblebee and Bulkhead entered.

Buddy was immediately on edge sizing up her potential enemies. She really didn’t want to use her ‘gift’ if she didn’t need to.

Buddy tried explaining to the bots that she didn’t want to fight them.

But apparently, they did.

“Reach for the sky Decepticreep!”--Bumblebee

“Listen, I’m not here for a fight—”--Bulkhead

“To bad! This is for trying to hurt Sari!”--Bulkhead

“I didn’t even—WOAH!”--Buddy

“Bulkhead! Bumblebee!”--Sari

“Don’t worry Sari get Prime online and tell him we got a rouge Con.”--Bumblebee

“That’s my cue to leave. Bye Sari! See ya later boys!”--Buddy

“Oh no you don’t”--Bulkhead

Buddy dodged and ducked all of the boys attacks the best she could while handling the beams on her back. She was about to web herself away to the skylight when the big one, Bulkhead she thinks the name was, hit one of the support beams on the warehouse causing a huge chunk on the ceiling to fall straight onto Sari.

“SARI!”—Bumblebee and Bulkhead

Buddy webbing Sari and booking it.

“Hey! Let me go!”--Sari

“SARI!”--Bumblebee

“GET BACK HERE!”--Bulkhead

“This wasn’t the plan! This wasn’t the plan! This wasn’t the plan!”—Buddy

Now Buddy did plan on putting the human down as soon as she was out of the warehouse, but apparently the boys weren’t going to let Buddy stop. And there was no way that Buddy was going to let the little one down in a potentially dangerous area.

“Put Me Down!”--Sari

“You want me to put you down here midair over your cities busy streets?!”--Buddy

“Well not here, here.”--Sari

“When I see a safe spot I’ll drop you off so you can go on with your life, but right now your safest option is with me kid.”--Buddy

“Tell that to them! It looks like your kidnapping me!”--Sari

“I know it does kid! I know!”--Buddy

Buddy was swinging her way above the roofs of the giant buildings when she felt something huge force ram into her side causing her to tumble down on the roof below.

She made sure that Sari was tucked away safely so the fall would hurt her.

“You okay kid?”--Buddy

“Yeah… you’re pretty nice for a Con.”--Sari

“Yeah—”--Buddy

“Servos where I can see them!”--Optimus

“…”--Buddy

“Optimus!”--Sari

“Let the human go and get up slowly Decepticon.”--Optimus

“…”--Buddy

There in all his glory was Optimus with his axe in his servos and wearing a determined look on his faceplate.

Slowly Buddy placed Sari down on the ground as she sent a sos message to any Con nearby to pick her up. Apparently, she stood up too quickly because the axe was coming closer and closer.

Buddy wanted to scream and yell that Optimus that it was her. She wanted to say something, anything, but her voice box didn’t seem to work too choked up with emotions that were buried and painful flashbacks.

She did her best to evade every strike which as it turned out not to be too hard. Optimus was always one to copy his fighting moves directly from the textbooks.

Sari did try to explain the situation to Prime but it didn’t help the way she phrased some of the things.

And the fact that he didn’t know who she was. To him, she was simply a weirdly colored Con that was stealing from a human business.

Then next thing Buddy knew she was on the ground with Optimus above her ready to strike, a strike to wound not kill, something Buddy was thankful for.

But that’s when Buddy’s voice box decided to work as a last effort way to stop him.

“Times up Decepticon!”--Optimus

“Optimus Stop!”--Buddy

The axe was a couple of inches from her when it stopped.

Optimus paused a bit, giving Buddy enough time to roll out of his grasp and putting some space between the two.

“How do you know my name?”--Optimus

“…I’d be a pretty crummy friend if I didn’t know my best friends name.”--Buddy

“…Buddy?”--Optimus

“Hey Prime.”--Buddy

“But how? You weren’t… your signal… we looked for you—”--Optimus

“Apparently you didn’t look hard enough Prime. Those spiders found me quicker than you three did. And now… and now that doesn’t matter anymore.”--Buddy

“We searched for you Buddy! The scans didn’t read anything—”--Optimus

“Prime drop it.”--Buddy

Wait, your part organic now—”--Optimus

“Optimus stop it.”--Buddy

“That’s why the scanners didn’t read that you were still there! We have to tell—”--Optimus

“We are not telling anyone about anything!”--Buddy

“What?! What about Sentinel? Do you think he doesn’t deserve the right to know what happened to you? What about Elit—”--Optimus

“QUIET!”--Buddy

“…”--Optimus

“I’m not heading to Cybertron so they can just dissect me on a cold lab table.”--Buddy

“We won’t let that happen Buddy. I won’t let that happen to you. I promise that.”--Optimus

“Don’t do that Prime.”--Buddy

“Don’t do what?”--Optimus

“Don’t make promises that you can’t keep.”--Buddy

“And what have you go back to the Decepticons?”--Optimus

“Yes.”—Buddy

Buddy needed to leave.

Buddy had never been more overjoyed to hear Lugnut’s engines than what she did at that moment. Before the Prime could ask any more questions Buddy swung her webs at the aircraft as it took her away from the roof tops below.

She climbed into the open back and closed it shut.

“How did the mission go? You pressed the sos for air support I assumed you found more steel—”--Lugnut

“Lugnut… Just… just get us back to the base…”--Buddy

“… Should I alert Lord Megatron of our arrival?”--Lugnut

“…Sure, Big guy. You do that.”—Buddy

When they arrived to the base Buddy still didn’t want to get out. She doesn’t want to face everyone else, not now.

Blitzwing is the one who carries Buddy out and goes to the medbay.

Starscream grabs the rest of the steel beams and heads to the medbay.

Lugnut transformed to get Megatron.

“Lord Megatron!”--Lugnut

“Yes Lugnut. Did Buddy return from the mission?”--Megatron

“Yes, a successful mission, but she did have a run in with some of the Autobots.”--Lugnut

“She what?”--Megatron

“She had a run in with some of the Autobots Lord Megatron—Lord Megatron?!”--Lugnut

Megatron hurrying to the medbay.

Blitzwing sets Buddy on the med slab and starts inspecting for any injuries as Starscream was complaining about putting the steel in its correct place.

“Boys, I’m fine.”--Buddy

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell him.”--Starscream

“Shush!”--Icy

“Icy, really this isn’t necessary. Anyways you’re the one who needs the patch job.”--Buddy

“Something clearly happened. You didn’t want to get out of Lugnut.”--Icy

“And that never happens!”--Hothead

“Were you playing peek-a-boo!”--Random

“Its just been a long day that’s all.”--Buddy

Enter Megatron

“Leave us.”—Megatron

Once everyone had left the room, Megatron sat down beside Buddy. A silence fell over them. After a bit, he asked what happened.

Buddy couldn’t hold it in. She told him almost everything that happened, Buddy still refused to give away the names of the Bots and Sari.

This irked him a bit, but at least Buddy was talking to him. He stayed next to Buddy as she told the rest of the story. Buddy tried hard to keep the coolant from spilling in front of Megatron. That was one of the last things she wanted to do.

They spilled when Megatron gently placed his servo on her shoulder and rubbed it softly. Megatron, the mighty Decepticon war lord, who had faced Death head on in the battlefield against all odds, held Buddy close to his chassis as she cried and trembled.

He promised to teach those who wronged his… friend? Whoever wronged Buddy a lesson. After all pain was a powerful teacher, and he intended on making them wise.

Meanwhile with Optimus.

Once he came back to the plant with Sari and Bumblebee and Bulkhead, he went straight to his room.

“What’s with Boss-bot?”--Bumblebee

“Don’t know?”--Bulkhead

“I think it has something to do with the new Con.”--Sari

He couldn’t believe it.

Buddy was alive!

Buddy was alive.

Buddy was a con.

A con…

And this was all his fault.

As soon as he’d get communication with Cybertron, he needed to get in contact with Elita and Sentinel.

The only thing he could do now was hope that he would cross paths with Buddy again and ask more questions on what happened to her.

And apologize to his best friend.

The friend he left behind.

#transformers #transformers x reader #maccadam #tfa optimus prime #tfa megatron #tfa x reader #tfa x platonic reader #bot buddy #tfa elita one twin sister

[sepublic]

            I really love this bit where Vee can’t help but blurt out her amazement over Willow, Gus, and Amity’s synchronization here, while also clearly missing out on the complicated history behind them. You really get the sense that Vee is a bit anxious about being an outsider to the Hexsquad’s dynamic, a borderline intruder; Which just about tracks, her own existence is technically unnatural (Vee does not yet know Hunter is a Grimwalker).

         Basilisks are feared by witches, and Vee is not one, when even Luz (who admitted to a harsh encounter with Vee’s sister) and Hunter qualify. Vee’s been ostracized as an other by the Emperor’s Coven, and she’s had to essentially infiltrate human society by literally masking, so there’s probably a bit of impostor syndrome there.

         Like her sister Luz, there’s that anxiety that Vee is an Other who doesn’t really belong anywhere, and is only pretending to fit in, but eventually she’ll be outed. And with Luz taking back her identity, that means Vee had to lose what friends she did make in the human realm, and possibly watch as Luz inevitably drifted away from them due to her own trauma and lack of history. And Vee is reminded of what she’s lost after reuniting with Masha, just moments before! So Vee really wants to embrace the Hexsquad as her new friends, but does she belong?

         Sure, Hunter hasn’t been part of the group for long either by the time Vee joined, and Luz was likely explaining Vee to her friends before Willow and Gus even met him. But from Vee’s perspective, all of these kids showed up together, with Gus huddling under Hunter’s arm in explicit trust. Vee must represent something scary to them, and/or an unfamiliar world they don’t belong in, so surely Vee doesn’t belong with them either! Vee understands Spanish at the start of the episode, in contrast to the other members of the Hexsquad.

         Given basilisks excel at disguises and Vee’s own past, it tracks that she’s figured out how to be quietly observant, not giving herself away, as Vee quickly picks up a lot of things she’s not privy to and the unspoken words exchanged between others. So in addition to the Reality Check camp, Vee could blend in with the human realm. But it’s tricky to just outright ask and admit her disconnect, hence why Vee doesn’t know how complicated things were between Willow and Amity especially; So when Vee does make an assumption about their bond, it’s a leap that betrays she isn’t in the know, rather than hiding this fact.

        So the uncertain, tentatively hopeful way Vee asks for another photo, after being corrected and making the situation awkward? Like she’s hoping they’ll forgive her for that? Vee clearly wants to make up for her obvious outsider mistake, by being included in another memory? Or at least atone by giving them their own memory, while she’s left out as photographer? Did Vee suggest this museum in the first place, even risk her trauma, to impress the others?

         And Willow, self-designated Mom Friend, immediately picks up on Vee’s unstated wish and enthusiastically embraces her, lets Vee know that they see her and she’s considered one of them; Willow’s reciprocated, also picking up on Vee’s unspoken words through observation! If they’re taking a picture they’re all taking a picture, Willow will find a way to include Vee as someone experienced with that camera. It’s wonderful, and it directly causes Vee to figure out a piece of the puzzle, after being left out when Willow, Amity, and Gus had their own breakthrough moments ago!

         LOOK AT THAT BLUSH SHE IS HAPPY AND PROUD TO HAVE PLAYED A PART AND OFFICIALLY BELONG!!!

#the owl house #vee noceda #willow park #character analysis

[violet-shadows]

✨CLICK HERE TO BE ADDED TO MY TAGLIST✨

It’s okay.

After a desperate search, Azriel rescues his friend and fellow member of the Inner Circle. Their reunion prompts some revelations about their shared connection and feelings for one another.

What are we waiting for? (Part One) (Part Two) (Part Three - NSFW)

Azriel has never been very good at talking about his feelings and his mate is no different. When both make assumptions about the other’s intentions, heartbreak and miscommunication ensue.

I knew it the first night that I saw you. (Part One) (Part Two)

When the High Lady’s sister sends a friend to your shop in her stead, you find your thoughts are soon captivated by a certain member of the Inner Circle.

Speaking of forgiveness. (Part One) (Part Two) (Part Three)

A spike of fear down the mating bond has Azriel racing back to the Night Court, terrified by what he’ll find. Meanwhile, the Inner Circle grapples with the fallout of a severe case of mistaken identity.

Low on Hope (Part One) (Part Two) (Part Three) (Part Four)

The youngest of the Archeron sisters went to great lengths to keep her family afloat before her sister went over the wall. The nature of her sacrifice was a secret she vowed never the share. That is, until Feyre and new brother-in-law’s magical abilities spoil her plan to leave the past in the past. When old memories become fresh wounds again, it’s up to a certain Spymaster to help piece Y/N back together. 

Careful

Azriel discovers something about his half-human mate that alarms him.

Cover Story (Part One) (Part Two) (Part Three)

When a mission leads him to a secluded island, Azriel recruits a friend and colleague to pose as his mate. Their time spent working together reveals more than they anticipated. 

Welcome Home

Azriel comes home late one evening to a surprise from his mate, who has spent the evening reading scary stories.

One More (NSFW)

Azriel is nothing if not patient and his willpower brings you to new heights in bed.

Scary Stories

On a camping trip with the Inner Circle, a spooky tale has you leaning on Azriel for comfort. 

Wish Things Were Different (Part One) (Part Two) (Part Three)

You know your mate loves you, but as he and Elain get closer, you begin to wonder if he wishes things had turned out differently.

These Hands

Your mate is thrilled about becoming a father, but his past makes him question whether he’s fit for the role. 

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

When Azriel’s best friend is kidnapped, he fears he may never get the chance to reveal his true feelings for her.

I Need You (NSFW)

Some playful teasing between you and Azriel turns into something more. 

Grounded (Part One) (Part Two) (Part Three) (Part Four)

Azriel meets a stranger in the library and finds the course of his life forever altered. 

Take Care

Azriel’s mate hasn’t been herself lately, stirring up old fears for the Shadowsinger. [fluff and angst]

Moving On (Part One) (Part Two) (Part Three) (Part Four)

After loving Azriel in secret for years, you decide it’s time for you to move on.

I’m supposed to protect you.

When a sparring match with your mate goes south, Cassian is left to pick up the pieces with a guilty conscience.

I’d do anything for you.

Cassian will do anything to make his mate happy, even if it means sacrificing his own comfort.

Payback (Part One) (Part Two)

After spending the evening teasing his mate, Cassian finds himself in a compromising position when she seeks revenge.

Poison

A diplomatic mission goes awry, leaving Cassian and his mate stranded in the Illyrian wilderness. 

Peace

Cassian and his mate reunite after a long, hard battle and take comfort in one another.

Sleepless in Velaris

Cassian wakes up alone and comes looking for his mate. As usual, he knows just what to do to help her fall asleep. 

ACOTAR Writing Circle Masterlist

Missing Piece (Series Index)

(Nessian x Reader) Cassian and Nesta are happily mated and in love, so why do they feel like something is missing? When a newcomer arrives in the City of Starlight, they learn that their bond is not yet complete.

🚫Requests are closed as of 10/01/2022.🚫

#azriel x reader #azriel x oc #cassian x reader #acotar x reader #acotar fanfiction #acotar #ff #masterlist #acotar masterlist

[skullwillow155]

Fanfic Draft - Sanji x oc (+More than likely Zoro) Sanji and oc had a sort of relationship before the time skip was fully official and depending how I go zoro develops feelings for oc. The split starting that up. This is post time skip and only the first draft so I may rewrite this slightly. Its no means finished and there will be more adventure with everything happening.

I hope its not too bad. I haven't wrote fanfiction in years and I haven't wrote for one piece before. So it may not be brilliant yet until I get my writing groove back on but I had a small idea and wanted to start something. Inspired by a chat I was having.

Story is also on A03 if anyone wants to follow so they don't miss any updates

Part 2 is up

----------‐--------------

It had been two years since The Strawhat’s all saw each other after the incident on Sabaody and now the whole crew were finally reuniting back where it started. Jeshika couldn’t contain her excitement and if she was honest her nerves. Two years was a long time to be apart from everyone and she wondered if everything would be the same.

The anticipation was killing her as she stood on the Thousand Sunny with Nami and Robin. That had already been an emotion reunion, only just finishing hugging and crying with each other. Well the crying was mostly her and Nami but Robin was smiling. She had changed so much from when she last saw her. Her appearance was so much different but she would deal with everything later she was just grateful that she had her friends back. It was too surreal and she honestly never thought this day would come. How 3 months had turned into two years, that had broken her heart when Luffy told them to stay away but in her heart she understood that they had to get stronger. She never liked it but she trusted her captain that it was the right choice.

She got stuck in her thoughts of the last two years that a few hours passed and the sky began to get darker. She didn’t realise how long she had been in thought until Nami and Robin were sorting things out on the ship, calling to her to come with them and sort things out. She snapped out of her thought and refused the offer, not wanting to move until she saw them; instead she stood waiting impatiently for Luffy to return with Zoro and Sanji.

She wouldn’t leave the deck, waiting for her captain to return, almost wondering if they would. She didn’t to lose them again not when she was this close to having everyone back together again. She bit her lip and sighed, feeling the anxiety bubbling up. She knew things never went to plan with them but she hoped this was one of the days where she could just have a little bit of peace. Waiting on the ship was agonising. She kept tapping her feet on the ground and biting her nails, feeling herself get more frayed as the minutes turned to hours. All she wanted was to be reunited with everyone and she wanted to see both Zoro and Sanji. Her heart aching at that thought.

After what felt like hours she finally heard a light holler in the distance before seeing Sanji wave her way. His eyes going wide as he looks over. “Ahhhh~~ Jeshika – Swan” He hollered and waved happily, a pool of blood leaking from his nose, he goes to cover that and his eyes we’re bright. The blood, excitement and movement caused him to fall off the small ride the three were on and being thrown onto the ship near your feet.

She sees them coming back and smiles as she waves back at them, letting out a squeal. Luffy hops off the boat with a wide smile and Zoro making his way behind Luffy onto the ship; not before looking at the chef in disgust and taking a step over Sanji’s body.

Jeshika took in the sight before her and couldn’t help the wide smile on her face. Luffy was talking fast and loud almost bouncing over the ship which took her attention away briefly before seeing Zoro in the corner. She immediately goes to Zoro first giving him a long hug as she took in his scent and appearance for the first time in two years. It was similar but also different and that made her feel a little sad at the thought he seemed different but she let that thought slide trying to revel in the here and now. They were here that was all that mattered. Zoro was quite stoic and rigid at the hug but she did feel him give a small squeeze back. That was more than she needed. Just to know he was happy to see her, he had a small smile on his face which he tried to hide but Jeshika saw it. She smiled back not needed to speak. There was no need for words between them, she could still feel the connection they once shared and let out a small almost inaudible sigh of relief. Maybe things could get back to some normality now.

She let out another smile at Zoro almost getting lost in the feeling of having him back that she almost forgot everyone else. Just for a moment that is until she felt movement by her feet and realising Sanji was still on the floor. She let out a chuckle before pulling away from Zoro and bending down to pull Sanji into a tight hug.

She saw the blood coming from his nose still and let out a small chuckle. “Same old Sanji” she whispered in glee. She was grateful that there was some familiarity after all these years. The blood going on her bikini top but she didn’t care, almost pulling him into a much tighter hug. Two years was too long. She pulled him even closer to her chest and hugged him tight. Just letting all her emotions wash over her.

She could feel his body trembling against hers, His grip on her tightening, as he knuckles almost turns white. She could feel him digging into her skin but she didn’t mind. It made it feel real.

Sanji had been yearning to feel Jess’ warmth again so badly for a long time, being stuck on that island made him yearn for her touch more than he would like to admit. He could see Zoro raise an eyebrow at his behaviour but he didn’t care. They were both over the moon to see you and neither were going to ruin this moment even if it was tempting to snap at the other.

Blood had covered Jeshika’s chest from his nose as he tried so hard to stop it but the sight of her was too much, she had changed too but it wasn’t in a bad way. Her figure and her aura just made him want to soak in everything about her once again. He was embarrassed beyond belief but he just couldn’t stop himself. He doesn’t want to move away from fear of her not being there anymore.

He continued to hug back with all of his strength and leans his head into her before pushing his face against her breasts. It was done without thinking but the scent of her and the softness was all he wanted, craved even. He needed the warmth and the comfort only she could give him and he was going to be greedy and take it all. Relief also washing over him at being in your grasp again.

Zoro felt a hint of jealousy run through him at the two of you hugging, a flash going though his eyes but he didn’t make a move to stop it. He could feel the tension, knowing they both needed this, even if it was killing him to not be able to touch her. He wouldn’t let Sanji win and show what he was feeling. He had thought long and hard throughout the two years as he was training with Mihawk. Thoughts of Jeshika always staining his mind in the quiet moments of day. The thoughts became more and more as the years passed by. Almost wondering what would happen if and when he finally got to see her again. He couldn’t pinpoint those feelings gnawing at his chest at the sight of the idiot cook and Jeshika hugging but it pulled him into his thoughts. Zoro was lost in thought just taking in her appearance realising how much she had changed but there was still the same old Jeshika underneath the change in appearance and it made him twitch his lips a little; grateful no one saw that. He couldn’t stop looking at her.

Jess lifted her head to look at Zoro almost expecting him to have disappeared with the captain, usually first to follow when Luffy was to leave, when she noticed him staring. She felt a light blush creep on her cheeks and looked away bashfully before holding onto Sanji tighter, burying her nose into his blonde hair; one to avoid Zoro’s intense gaze and two to try and remember the scent she has missed so dearly. Zoro caught Jeshika’s glance and cleared his throat before turning away and pretending to inspect his swords.

Jeshika didn’t know how she had coped in those two years. Being away from her captain and the crew was bad but being away from both Sanji and Zoro had almost broken her. Many a nights she thought of her crew, wondering what they were doing but each and every night the thoughts always came back to one of two Strawhat’s; Sanji or Zoro. Her and Sanji were close, probably the closest she was to any of the crew, before they had separated and her and Zoro’s relationship was complicated but there was always an undeniable bond between those two that they had; even if Zoro never voiced anything they both cared for each other deeply.

She was pulled out of her thoughts at the feel of wet on her chest, She looked down to see the blood pouring but didn’t care that she was covered in it. All that mattered was the man in front of her. With shaky breaths she kissed the top of his head and lets him soak her presence up like a sponge.

She had a warm feeling in her chest knowing she was back with the two most important people in her life and felt a calm wash over her.

As they hugged Zoro teased Sanji at his behaviour trying to cover his own thought’s and feelings. Sanji’s head snapped up to give Zoro and glare but was brought back to Jeshika’s presence quickly. The words he wanted to say to Zoro dying on his lips as he tried so hard to stop the blood from flowing. “Stupid moss head” He whispered but there was no malice to it.

In the background the rest of the crew were laughing and talking and all Jeshika could think was she was home. Everyone were all so happy to be together again. Everyone had changed in someway she could tell but the bonds they had seemed to just fall back into place and that was all that mattered. She was just happy that Sanji was still Sanji no matter what else may have changed in the two years apart. She was sure there was some change in him but this, this was still the same man she knew.

“I missed you...” She whispered with shaky breaths; a couple of tears staining her cheeks. She looked at both Sanji and at Zoro as she said those words. Zoro’s heart swell but didn’t move, wanting to say he missed her too but the words got stuck in his throat.

She felt Sanji pull his head back from her chest and wipe his nose one more time not noticing how much blood was stained and wiped away the tears with the pad of his thumb. “I missed you too suteki na” He said intently as his nose bleed started to dry up.

It was true. He had missed her terribly. He took in her beauty and her smile and fell in love all over again. Her hair had grown longer and she had grown a tan since she had been gone but she was still beautiful to him. “My god I’ve missed you so much” He pulls back and stared into her eyes Intently, feeling like he was finally home.

Now he had pulled back she finally took in his appearance and noticed how much he’s changed just by glancing at him. His blue eyes had come more intense, his hair had grown, covering his face a little bit more. She noticed his fringe changing sides on his face and the stubble he had grown and looked him up and down drinking in his appearance. Both the men in front of her had different auras about them but she couldn’t help feel soft inside at the two men in front of her. This wasn't an entirely new feeling but she was glad the last two years could now finally be ended. She didn't have to be lonely anymore.

Part 1? Might change some of it not too sure.

#fanfiction #fanfic #one piece #zoro #sanji #zoro x reader #zoro x oc #sanji x oc #sanji x reader #roronoa zoro #vinsmoke sanji #nami #nico robin #robin #chopper #franky #luffy #monkey d. luffy

[tharmrs]

{ more than ever }

// more than ever i see the real you, and it surrounds //

| clive rosfield x fem.reader |

summary: where clive comforts his love in her time of need.

word count: 767

the soft sounds of crying were all clive rosfield could hear when he was suddenly roused from his deep slumber.

there was a coldness felt coursing through his veins, an unnatural lack of warmth that caused him to awaken so suddenly. as he opens his eyes, he was achingly aware of how much lighter his chest felt, alerting him of the fact that his beloved had somehow awoken in the middle of the night and left him.

clive could feel his heart aching at the thought, nearly breaking when he thinks back to how strange his lover was acting as of late. each time he came back from his duties as a knight, the more his beloved would seem to retreat back into her shell.

yet still, she always kept that same beaming smile on her face. despite how it never seemed to reach at her eyes, she was always quick to reassure him that she was fine and was merely tired, is all.

but he knew his lover well.

he knew of her tendencies to keep to herself and hide her own burdens so as to not worry anyone else.

wanting to give her the space that she needed, clive respected her wishes and didn't try to pry about her true feelings. he remained ever so loving, ever so patient with her as he simply waited for her to come around and tell him of her feelings.

and he supposes tonight was a breaking point for her.

not wasting another second, clive shoves back the quilted blanket, his bare feet landing against the wooden floors of their shared home as he softly cries out her name. he hears a hiccup and a few sniffles, further prompting him to find her.

with his heavy footsteps echoing throughout the cottage, he looks towards the living quarters and feels his heart aching at the sight that was settled before him. there his lover was, curled up in a ball as her bloodshot eyes met with his concerned gaze.

"oh love, c'mere." clive takes a few steps towards his beloved woman, reaching out to her as he immediately takes her in his arms. with her pressed so intimately close against his bare chest, clive feels the way she buries her face within his skin. as if wanting to bask in his warmth, he feels her lips press a gentle kiss against his heart, making it flutter with its rapid beats from the confines of his chest.

"i'm sorry." as if his mere presence was enough to comfort her, clive listens as her sobs settles down, like a storm turning into drizzling rain as he could feel her pressing kisses against his skin. "i-i had been struggling with some dark thoughts these past couple of weeks, and i am so sor-"

clive then cuts her off the moment she began to apologize once more, leaning forward to press a bruising kiss against her parted lips. he relishes in her sweet sighs of his name, allowing her hands to cling to his broad shoulders as he continues to mold his lips together with hers. he slants his lips perfectly, slotting them together with hers like a missing puzzle piece as she moans against his kiss.

he thinks back to all of the times she has been there for him, through his darkest memories pertaining to his fallen kingdom and the loss of his father and brother. during that time, clive really felt as though he wanted to end himself, to somehow reunite with those that he loved-

yet it was her who stopped him; her who loved and cherished him and saved him from his own darkness.

and could he really call himself her lover if he couldn't do the same with her?

he was the first to pull away from the kiss, eyes looking deeply into her own as he lets out a soft murmur of her name. "i love you, my darling. always remember that. it was you who saved me from my own darkness, and i will always be grateful for the fact that our lives had crossed paths long ago."

clive embraces her even tighter then, pressing a kiss against the crown of her hair as she slowly began to cry once more while in his arms. "nothing has changed, cry as much as you need to. let it all out, i'm here, i'm here."

with the two lovers being comforted by their mere presence alone, time steadily passes by, further strengthening their bond as they knew that they could never and would never part from each other.

fin.

------

do not repost; plagiarize; or translate.

#mine #clive rosfield x reader #rosfield clive x reader #clive rosfield x you #rosfield clive x you #final fantasy xvi x reader #ff16 x reader

[the-empress-7]

I have been putting together some of the puzzle pieces and have some theories so might dive into those today. ~~ SO READY! Shoot!

So let's begin withe US Media Anon I received early yesterday:

Later in the day we received the first official article in The Times. Here are two relevant tidbits:

Now the tea. Remember how confused I was about the negotiations? For the life of me I couldn't figure out the need for a negotiation. More on that later.

Then some weird details started to emerge. Remember when we first heard about a walkabout, it was only supposed to be The Prince and Princess of Wales. When the walkabout started BBC had a graphic ready and it was this. Notice who is missing:

And then this. Like the BBC, Rebecca would have been quickly briefed about what was about to take place.

Then some final weirdness:

Last but not the least, the article from Kate Mansey.

Sorry for all the puzzle pieces, let me finally get to the point. Notice how so much of what I posted was about William and Harry re-uniting? Notice that the BBC only mentioned Harry accompanying William and Catherine. Charles wanted William and Harry to reunite, not William/Catherine and Harry/Meghan.

Which brings me to the 45 minute negotiation. It is my theory that William extended the invitation to Harry, but Meghan showed up with him. Which set off the negotiation. Further more I believe that William agreed to Meghan accompanying them as long they only viewed the tributes/flowers and promptly returned back to their cars. The walk-about was always intended for only for The Prince and Princess of Wales. Meghan being Meghan, went rogue. As soon as she could she was out doing the walkabout. The withering look that Catherine shot her at the end makes all the sense in the world to me now. It explains why the aides kept trying to pull her away.

I think what added to all the confusion was M's Plan A. I do think she had alerted CNN and had her cameras on standby, which made the negotiations even more difficult. She probably was threatening to go out by herself if the new Prince of Wales didn't allow her the false equivalence moment with Catherine. It explains why the CNNi reporter had his talking points for H&M ready and only referred to W&C as the "other royals".

In the end I think William ended up doing his best to put out a building fire. In order to stop H&M from going out there on their own, a compromise was reached. The problem is that Meghan did not hold up her end of the deal. Which I why I kept saying yesterday that you do not negotiate with terrorists! I hope to God that William learns from this. I know now that he is not to blame, but I'd like to see him put his foot down even more from now on.

I am starting to ramble. I am curious to hear what others think of this.

#Sunday morning quarterbacking

[dirtytransmasc]

The relief the whole family (especially Neytiri) felt when they got Spider back must have been very emotional 😭

neytiri had almost lost herself looking for the boy, never once dropping out of her drive to find her son. for months she only did what was necessary to survive; she only ate what was necessary, only drank what was necessary, only sleeps as long as she needs to keep moving without slowing. she burned with hot anger and a deep, gaping grief that was colder than a thousand winters.

life had been a haze, every moment she was without spider was hell, but the time she was forced to stay low, to stop looking even if for a moment, it was the worst feeling she had ever had the misfortune of feeling. it broke her, broke the mask she used to be able to put on for her children to convince them it was all ok. she became a shell of herself over the span of a few months.

to have spider back was like bending an already bent and splintering piece of wood the other way; she was so broken and so fragile that the feeling of having her child back almost broke her again in a completely different way.

Had she been the first to find him, the rest of the family would have thought him dead; she wailed, much like any other mother who had been wounded by the loss of a child had, taking him up in her arms as if someone might take him away again (he had missed her so much he practically rag-dolled into her arms, further adding to the whole 'spider might be dead' look that scared the shit out of everyone else). she raised her blade to anyone who caught her off guard, any potential threat (jake almost gets stabbed... twice, once for scaring her and once for trying to take spider without her permission). She spent a long while just looking at spider's face, listening to his breathing, feeling his skin on hers.

she wouldn't put him down for only Eywa knows how long, even as spider is reunited with his siblings and jake, she keeps him as close as possible.

the kids are happy to have their brother back of course; if they were close in canon, they're inseparable now. neteyam had felt like he failed his brother, forever the 3rd parent, so each day he was without spider was a day he sunk into his own depression about him. lo'ak and kiri missed their person, their brother, and though they were a bit better at distracting their minds from his absence, but they still missed him with something awful. tuk missed her big brother, as spider was the one who played with her when her other sibling got 'too old' to play. to be reunited was like taking the last heavy weight off their chests; the metkayina village had become their home, even if it was nothing like the forests they grew up in, they people had become their people, all they had needed was spider.

jake is just happy that his family is whole again, that spider is home, his kids are happy, his wife is back to herself (the state she had been in for months was downright terrifying and his heart broken not only for his son but for her). losing spider made him realize the flaws in his parenting, made him realize how he mistreated his sons, so getting him back was a bittersweet moment. he had many apologize to give spider that he had already given to his other children, new habits to form, a new chapter of this life with spider to begin, and it was overwhelming to think about, so instead, he holds his son and thanks Eywa that he has him back. (jake would have parentified or made his son into a soldier much like neteyam and lo'ak regardless of his status to the family, and within the soldier mindset, he would see spider with less value due to him being human. its part of jakes character, losing his fatherly instinct to fear and drive of war. he can and will do better in time)

over all, they're just happy to have their pink fleshy little brother back.

#spider socorro #miles socorro #miles spider socorro #spider te suli tsyeyk'itan #neytiri #jake sully #kiri sully #neteyam sully #lo'ak sully #avatar the way of water #avatar 2

[sayafics]

Ghost - Chapter VI

Slight bit of angst in this chapter, a bit of a turn from chapter V, but I tried to keep their emotions realistic to the situation. Given how highly intense scenes like these are, emotions are going to be everywhere. I just hope I did this some justice, enjoy! <33

TW: Slight? angst, infidelity (cheating on Lori - but also they thought they were going to die, so??), thoughts of suicide (in line with TV storyline)

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Masterlist

The horse had been trotting along steadily for a while now, Rick and Casper easily losing track of time as they lost themselves in small, random conversations.

Casper had a feeling she had never been to Atlanta before, at least not before the dead had risen. But there was no way for her to know for sure. She was just relying on a gut feeling. So she looked to Rick to learn whatever she could about life in Georgia before the fall.

He told her about his job as a Sheriff's Deputy, about his close friend who worked alongside him, Shane Walsh.

Rick had rambled on about his friend, promising her that when they caught up to his family, she would love him as much as he did. He was a good friend, a great one - one who he knew would have saved his family and protected them when he couldn't.

That conversation had led them to the topic of Rick's family, he seemed hesitant to talk about his wife and if Rick was being honest it was because he couldn't think of what to say.

He and Lori hadn't been on great terms before he was shot, he was sure divorce was even on the table at the time. Lori had said he didn't talk. Not in the way she wanted - he didn't fight, he didn't scream and that meant he didn't love her.

Rick didn't know if that was true. What he did know was he had loved Lori since high school, and that passion had been drained out of him because of constant arguments, constant fights. Rick was sure he loved her, she was the mother of his child. But he didn't know if he was in love with her.

Rick was sure, though, that as long as Carl was breathing Lori would want to make it work, for Carl's sake. But if Rick was being truthful, if anyone had asked him before today if that was what he also wanted, he would have said yes.

It seemed that now things had gotten more complicated.

Rick pushed the thoughts from his mind, instead choosing to focus on his son.

He told Casper about him, about how much Carl admired him and his job, about how much he loved his son, and about how he looked forward to reuniting with him again.

"You're a good father, Rick. Carl is lucky to have you."

The confession was soft-spoken, and Rick knew she had to be thinking of her own folks.

And in truth, she was. Casper dwelled on the photo she had taken the time to see whilst they were at the station, wondering if her father loved her even an ounce as much as Rick loved his son.

She tried to stay hopeful that he was still out there, but if he was, did that mean he had abandoned her? Left her behind? But surely, if he did, he must have had a reason why. Right?

Her thoughts began to cloud her mind, toppling onto one another, causing chaos. There was no other sign of her distress apart from a prolonged silence as she tried to sort out the puzzle that was her mind, only it was so much harder when there were so many pieces missing.

Rick could see how she was losing herself in her thoughts, the way her head moved more loosely as it jolted with the horse's every move, swaying back and forth as she tried to search for the answers that were hidden from her.

Rick didn't like seeing her like that, so quiet and miserable.

It had only felt like a short moment for Casper, as though she had only zoned out for a few seconds. The smell of rotting flesh brought her back to reality, the scent also putting Rick on edge.

As they traversed deeper into Atlanta, they were thrown off by the discourse and chaos that surrounded them - streets had become littered with trash, wrecked cars, abandoned cars, and even a helicopter was left in the middle of the street.

The pair and their horse rode past a crashed bus, unaware of the walkers within that had roused and began to follow them.

Rick and Casper tried to keep an eye on every possible exit, their heads on a swivel as the sound of growling grew louder, the echoes causing the horse to whinny at the walkers headed their way as Rick urges him to a canter.

Casper had gotten used to the motions of the horse, braving her fears as they travelled the highways and roads, eventually being able to brush her hand along the horse's mane without breaking a sweat.

Rick spoke to the horse Casper had secretly named, "Steady. There’s just a few. Nothing we can’t outrun."

He was right. From the few they had seen, it would be easy to outrun. But something about the statement had caused Casper's stomach to twist in dread.

As they turned down a different street, Rick guided the horse past a tank, overturned vehicles, and an abandoned roadblock. Scattered around them are crows scavenging on a soldier's remains up on the tank. Just as they walked past the tank, Rick and Casper hear a helicopter approaching.

"Woah, is that a helicopter?" Surprised laughter escapes her throat - surely if there is a helicopter, then that means the refugee centre has to be up and running.

Rick cheered alongside her, urging the hourse to take off and run after it. They take after the helicopter, so invested in its path along the sky that they hadn't realised they crossed into a street with hundreds of walkers until they began to stumble their way to the horse.

"Holy shit," the fearful whisper from Casper urged Rick to turn back the horse and run him back the way they came. Rick held her tighter against him, fearing that if she slipped off she would be lost to the walkers.

His heart sank at the thought, fear filling his core inch by inch as the reality that he could possibly lose Casper set in.

Rick couldn't watch her be torn apart, couldn't watch her take her last breath, couldn't watch her come back as one of those monsters.

His mind flickered back to the wound on her back, the one they were too terrified to confront. That was a hurdle for another day. First, he had to get Casper and himself to safety.

As they turned back towards the tank, the pair soon realised they were surrounded.

"Oh shit. Oh God." Guilt began eating at Rick's soul as he realised that they were going to die. That Casper was going to die.

And it was all his fault. It was his plans that brought her all the way here, and now she was going to die because of it.

Every way is blocked by walkers who are now close enough they start tearing into the horse. The pair try to keep their seat and find a way out, but the walkers' attack sends the horse into a panic, the dozens of walkers pulling it to the ground with them.

The motion caused Rick and Casper to fall to the ground, watching as the walkers ripped into the horse with no mercy, the raw violence causing a mournful cry to leave Casper, "Brownie!"

Her agonised cry had confused Rick - was she talking to the horse?

Despite the precarious situation, he couldn't help but he amused. With the walkers too busy with the horse to notice, they focused on looking for an escape route in the crowd.

Casper kicks away a walker close to her, her hand scrambling for the dagger at her belt as she spins in circles looking for Rick.

She can't see him, but then - "Casper! The tank! Get to the tank!"

Rick had crawled under the tank, walkers slowly following him from all sides. All that stood between her and Rick now were two walkers.

Casper thought fear would have taken over her body, that she would've frozen and met the same fate as their beautiful horse Brownie.

Instead, now armed with a dagger, Casper felt her body move at its own accord, shifting in a familiar pattern. As though she had done this before, because she had.

She launched at the first walker, holding its shirt tight as she held it back before shoving the dagger through its eye socket into its skull. As she pulled the knife out, she pushed the now actually-dead walker into another one close by causing them to topple over and take more walkers down with them.

With several walkers knocked down, Casper freed herself an opening to the tank, throwing herself onto the ground as she army-crawled along the concrete.

She found Rick in the centre, gun in hand as he waited for her.

She sped up, eager to be at his side, desperate to feel his warmth and comfort. When she reached him, he looked at her in relief and she swore she could see tears pooling in his eyes.

There was no time for a joyful embrace, no time for relieved cries, they were surrounded and now it seemed the walkers were attempting to climb under the tank to follow them.

"Oh God, Rick."

Rick shoots at the nearest one, continuing to shoot until he only has two bullets left. He finds himself looking into Casper's eyes, full of fear and terror. But also, full of trust, full of unabashed, heartwarming trust.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart."

"Rick... what ar-"

Rick rolled onto his back with his gun pointed to his head, the action causing Casper's hands to quickly reach up and grab him by the wrist. He couldn't die like this, he couldn't leave her like this.

He freezes for a moment, but his eyes are no longer on her.

Rick sees a hatch, a sigh of relief leaves him as he opens it vigorously.

"Casper, quick," he had to get her in first, but Casper still stared at him in shock and betrayal.

He would leave her behind and take his own life? How could he decide such a fate so easily?

Rick couldn't wait for her to snap back into reality. He pulled her on top of his body, so his chest pressed into her back once more and pushed the both of them through the hatch, quickly closing it behind him.

He crawled as far away from the hatch as he could, with Casper in his arms, until he's up against the side. He's panting into the silent air, then a glance next to him reveals a dead solider and a grenade on a shelf.

Rick reaches for the soldier's gun, the movement arousing the walker. As he turns snarling at Rick, he finds himself pushing Casper away to the other side of the hatch, instinct taking over as he shoots the walker in the head.

The gunshot echoes, the sound succeeding in snapping Casper out of her thoughts.

Once the ringing from the gun had cleared, Casper turned herself to look at Rick, fury burning through her body, "you were going to kill yourself."

It wasn't a question. Of course it wasn't.

"Cas-"

"No, you were going to shoot yourself. You were," her voice cracked slightly, wavering as she looked away from him before continuing, "you were going to leave me."

Casper didn't know why she was so hurt. They had known each other for such a short time, and yet the betrayal hurt so deep that it stung her soul to realise that maybe he didn't care enough. Enough to at least try. Enough to stay by her side and for them to face their fate together.

Rick's eyes shut heavily as he leaned against the side of the tank.

"I know."

He didn't deny it, he was ready to take the coward's way out and leave her behind.

"Why?"

Rick didn't answer her.

"Rick. Please. Just tell me, why?"

"I-. I can't sweetheart."

"Don't call me that."

Her raised voice surprised him, it caused him to straighten as he regarded her with shock. He crawled towards her, his eyes almost desperate as he tried to get her to look at him, "c'mon Casper. I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"Yeah, you weren't," still she wouldn't look at him, she looked hesitant before whispering, "you're a coward."

That had struck Rick hard, his face crestfallen as he realised that it was true. He hadn't even tried to fight for them, hadn't tried his best. He had given up so easily, and that wasn't fair. Not to her.

Rick's heart was beating, he could feel the thuds at the base of his throat, as though it had lodged itself there and started to suffocate him.

"No. C'mon, bab-"

"Stop."

"Cassie." His hand came to lay on the base of her throat, his thumb stroking the edge of her jaw, his grip tight but not uncomfortable. His hands felt soft against her skin despite the callouses on them, but even with his desperation, he didn't place any pressure to move her head his way.

No, it wasn't the name. Wasn't the hand. It was the anguish in his voice, as though he was tormented by the idea she could no longer look at him. As though he was haunted by the fact he could no longer call to her the way he had so easily over the last few days - baby. Sweetheart. And now, Cassie.

That had made her turn to him. The agony that leaked in his voice, only for her to meet his eyes and be greeted by the sight of unshed tears, "Cassie," he was whispering now - happy she heard, happy she listened - leaning forward to press his head against her own, "I didn't think there was another way out. I didn't- no, I couldn't. I couldn't see them tear you apart, I couldn't see you die like that. I couldn't see that."

"But you were going to leave me," her voice shook as tears made their way down her face, but she leaned further into him.

Rick hesitated, only for a moment - "there were 2 bullets."

He turned his head away, as though ashamed by the confession - what did he think this was? A modern-day tale of Romeo and Juliet? He scoffed at his own pretentious thoughts but forced himself to continue, "I would've waited for you, sweetheart."

Those few words said so much more than she was able to analyse at that moment, but it had strangely calmed her. He wouldn't have left her behind, he would just have been waiting for her somewhere else.

He just cared too much to see her suffer.

He couldn't bear to see her turn into one of the walkers and saw death as a better option for them both than to her suffer and die a merciless death.

She wrapped her arms around him, quiet sobs leaving her as she pleaded with him, "don't do that again. Please. I need you, Rick."

The confession had Rick hold her tighter, tears leaving his own eyes now and streaming down his face as he mumbled reassurances, "never again, baby. I promise. I'm so sorry for scaring you, sweetheart."

There it was again, those petnames. Names that brought her such a deep sense of solace that she couldn't find it within herself to pull away.

The two were lost in each other’s arms, relishing in the warmth and familiarity as they took comfort in one another.

Rick pulled himself back slightly - the tank was surrounded. Even if they tried to escape, one of them could get bitten and turn, and if they were to stay in here, they would starve to death before the walkers got to them. And even if they did survive all of this, Rick recalled the wound on Casper's back once more, the one they had both been too afraid to see, the one that could have been a walker bite. Even if they did survive this, Casper could die and turn anyway.

Rick brushed his nose gently against Casper's, the action causing her to open her eyes and look into his. For a moment, it was as though the mountains had met the ocean, brown and blue hues gazing into each other.

Casper made the first move, leaning up to brush her lips slightly against Rick's, the action causing him to inhale tightly. Casper paused, waiting for Rick to make a decision.

And he did.

He leaned closer, sealing their lips together and just as he-

"Hey, you. Dumb asses. Yeah, you guys in the tank. Are you cosy in there?"

A man spoke over the radio, his voice causing the two to rip themselves away from each other, avoiding looking into their counterpart's eyes.

Embarassment filled the air, Rick rubbed a hand over the back of his neck as Casper held her face in her hands, hoping to conceal her red, burning cheeks.

It took a few deep breaths to compose themselves, and after they had, they turned to look to the radio in disbelief.

#andrea twd #daryl dixon #daryl dixon x oc #daryl dixon x reader #glenn rhee #lori grimes #rick grimes #rick grimes x oc #rick grimes x reader #rick grimes x you #rickyl x reader #shane walsh #carl grimes #twd daryl #the walking dead #twd fanfiction #twd #rick grimes x reader x daryl dixon

[biggerbetterbat]

WITH YOU II | [1] LET THE JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL

Daryl Dixon x OC!Charlie Reed

Summary: Once the group reunites the future looks brighter. Charlie is skeptical about newcomers, but tries to accept them for the sake of her friends. The group have an encounter in the forest.

Warnings: language, killing walkers, thinking about death

Words: 5, 776

Song:

A/N: WELCOME WELCOME! Hello in a second part and I just want to say: buckle up because the real story begins now.

She furrowed her eyebrows and turned to scan the horizon. The sun was high on the sky, so she had to squint her eyes and it was still hard to make out who was calling her from the distance. Suddenly, Charlie's heart leaped as she spotted a familiar silhouette running towards her. With tears in her eyes, she rushed to meet him.

Without hesitation, Carl broke into a run, his footsteps pounding against the earth as he closed the distance between them. And then, in a rush of emotion, he was upon her, wrapping her in a fierce embrace that threatened to swallow her whole. Tears welled in Charlie's eyes as she returned his embrace.

As they stood locked in each other's arms, Charlie felt a sense of peace settle over her, knowing that he was now next to her again.

"I thought I lost you," he sobbed into her chest.

"Me too," she whispered through the squeezed throat. She closed her eyes and kissed the top of his head.

Once Carl let go of her, she started looking around. Charlie's heart raced with anticipation. After period of wandering, surviving, and hoping against hope, she was finally on the brink of reuniting with her friends. Bob breathed with relief when their eyes met and he almost choked her to death with the strength of the hug. Glenn almost cried while he saw her. But different hands were first to wrap around Charlie.

"Maggie," Charlie whispered, her voice choked with emotion. Tenderness that caught Charlie off guard. For a moment, she stood there, lost in the embrace of her long-lost friend, the warmth of Maggie's presence melting away the walls she had built around her heart."I thought I'd never see you again."

Maggie pulled back, her eyes shining with tears. "I thought the same."

Charlie saw a reflection of her own happiness mirrored in Maggie's gaze.

"It's okay, now."

As soon as Greene stepped back, another figure appeared in front of her. It was Michonne, a small smile playing on her lips as she was fighting the tears. There was a relief at the sight of Michonne standing before her once more, as she was not just a friend; she was a sister. Charlie found herself struggling to contain the flood of emotions threatening to overwhelm her.

"Michonne," she breathed finally, her voice trembling with emotion.

Michonne's eyes softened, mirroring emotions reflected in Charlie's own. Without a word, she opened her arms, and Charlie stepped forward, wrapping herself in the embrace she had longed for since their separation.

As they held each other tight, Charlie's tears flowed freely, but they were no longer tears of sadness or despair. They were tears of gratitude, of relief, of the overwhelming sense of love and connection that bound them together, stronger than ever before. "I thought it was over."

"You silly girl," Michonne chuckled and pulled her closer. In that embrace, Charlie found solace, a refuge from the storms that raged around them. And as she clung to Michonne, she knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, they would face them together now - once again.

But amidst the joy of their reunion, Charlie's heart ached for one more reunion, one that felt like a missing piece of her soul. And then, as if summoned by her thoughts, he appeared. For a moment, they simply stared at each other, the weight of their shared history hanging heavy in the air. Then their faces broke out in a smile. "Charlie," Glenn breathed, his voice barely a whisper. "I thought I'd lost you."

Tears welled up in Charlie's eyes as she threw herself into his arms, clinging to him as if he were her lifeline. "I thought I'd lost you too," she choked out.

They held each other tight, their embrace a silent vow to never let go again. Glenn was more than just a friend—he was family, a brother she had chosen in a world torn apart by chaos. "You can't get rid of me that easily," Glenn replied, strengthening the hug. "Who else is gonna keep you entertained?"

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Oh, joy. I can hardly contain my excitement."

They broke the hug, but Glenn didn't let her go just yet, holding her face. He was trying to check if there was any changes in her. Charlie patted his arm and pushed him slightly.

And then she saw him.

He stood couple feet away from her. Maintained his rugged and weathered appearance, reflecting that past days were harsh on him, too. His signature crossbow was slung over his shoulder, a constant companion and symbol of his resourcefulness. He was wearing a leather jacket that fit him just fine. Daryl's hair were much longer that she remembered, framing unchanged piercing blue eyes. His gaze met hers with a mix of hesitation and longing. He looked uncertain because of the separation, and uncertainty hung heavy in the air between them.

"Hi," she whispered.

"Hey."

His heart skipped a beat, when he heard the voice he thought he would never hear again. He had spent countless days and nights thinking of her, haunted by memories of their time together and fueled by the hope of their eventual reunion that seemed impossible. Now, as she stood before him, battered yet unbowed by the trials of their journey, he felt a surge of relief wash over him. And he was scared. Scared, if what they had was still there.

"Didn't think I'd see you again," Daryl said, his voice almost trembling with emotions.

Charlie's heart fluttered at the sound of his voice, her own emotions swirling like a storm within her chest. "I didn't think so either," she admitted, her voice barely a whisper.

For a moment, they stood there, lost in each other's gaze, the weight of their unspoken feelings hanging heavy in the air between them. They had both longed for this moment, had dreamed of being reunited, but now that it was here, they found themselves hesitating, unsure of how to bridge the gap that had grown between them.

But then, as if drawn together by an invisible force, they closed the distance between them, their arms wrapping around each other in a fierce embrace. In that moment, the world fell away, leaving only the two of them, bound together by the unbreakable ties of love and survival.

They held each other tight, their bodies pressed close as if afraid to let go, their hearts pounding in unison against the chaos of the world.

As Charlie found herself enveloped in Daryl's embrace, a sense of safety washed over her like a soothing balm. In the shelter of his arms, she felt a profound sense of peace, a respite from the constant turmoil and uncertainty. She didn't have to worry about anything as he was close.

Her mind raced with a whirlwind of emotions, But amidst the chaos of her thoughts, one thing remained clear: she never wanted to let him go again. And so, with a silent vow, Charlie made a decision. She would hold onto Daryl with all her strength, never letting him slip away again.

"Daryl," Charlie mumbled into his shoulder, her voice so muffled by him that he could hardly hear it. "I missed you."

"Missed you too, Charlie," he mumbled, his voice gruff with emotion.

But their reunion was not without its complications. As they welcomed new members into their group, tensions simmered beneath the surface, threatening to boil over at any moment. And it would surprise no one if Charlie said that she didn't trust them.

"And who are they?" Charlie furrowed her eyebrows after she greeted all her friends and was met with four strangers. One of new women was standing there, looking scared when Charlie looked at her.

"New friends," Glenn answered wrapping his arm around her. "This  is Tara. She helped me after the prison."

Reed smiled and approached the girl, spreading her hand. "Nice to meet you. Sorry, I can't really remember you from the prison."

Tara opened her lips, but nothing came out of them, so they were just standing with intertwined hands. Glenn came to stand next to his old friend. "Because she wasn't there with us."Immediately, Charlie's eyes turned cold and she let go of the girl's hand.

Behind stood a tall, bulky man with ginger hair and mustache.  He clearly was in the Military before. He seemed rather hostile and firm, not smiling just standing there with his gun ready to be used. If his character was like his appearance,  it might be difficult to have two alpha men in one group - if he decides to stay. "You'll like him," Glenn said when he saw where she was looking at. "Abraham."

Abraham, in exchange, with his imposing stature and no-nonsense attitude, eyed Charlie warily, his gaze lingering on her like a hawk. He had seen too much in this world to trust easily, and Charlie could sense the skepticism in his gaze.

Beside him stood Eugene,  man looked like a guy who lived in the cellar before and never left it. His face was mirroring awe as he was observing everyone around him. Charlie had this strange expression that he was eyeing her body and felt uncomfortable in his presence. Charlie looked over at Glenn who tried to cheer her up and with his eyes to convince that the man wasn't that bad. She sighed and with uneasy face she gave a quick glance at the last new person.

And then there was Rosita - a girl around her age, stared at her with the same expression, mirroring Charlie's face. Glenn knew that this relationship could go in just two directions - the girls would become friends for life or sworn enemies. Rosita, just like his friend, was hot-headed and single minded about the situation. But both of them greatly cared for their people. However, Glenn was convinced that at the beginning there would be many clashes.

As Charlie's gaze swept over the familiar faces gathered around her, one figure stood out amidst the crowd. Rick Grimes, the leader, the protector, the man who had once been like a brother to her.

Rick approached her with a cautious smile, his eyes betraying the weight of the world upon his shoulders. "Charlie," he said, his voice rough with emotion. "It's good to see you."

Charlie returned his smile with a nod, her own expression guarded yet tinged with warmth. "You too, Rick," she replied, her voice soft yet tinged with a hint of hesitation.

Their reunion was awkward, strained by the unspoken words that hung heavy between them. They had been through so much together, had fought side by side against the tide of darkness that threatened to engulf them all. But in the aftermath of tragedy, their bond had faltered, their connection frayed by the weight of their shared grief.

Rick cleared his throat, a nervous energy crackling in the air between them. "So, uh, any good jokes you've heard lately?" he asked, his attempt at levity falling flat against the solemn backdrop of their reunion.

Charlie arched an eyebrow, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "You trying to lighten the mood, Rick?" she teased, her voice soft yet tinged with amusement.

Rick shrugged, a sheepish grin spreading across his face. "Can't blame a guy for trying," he replied, his gaze meeting hers with a mix of vulnerability and longing.

For a moment, they stood there, the weight of their shared history hanging heavy in the air. With a silent nod, Charlie reached out and clasped Rick's hand in her own, a silent vow passing between them.

"I don't know if the fire is still burning," said Rick looking in the direction of Terminus.

Charlie looked there and saw black cloud of smoke. Then she remembered the day in the forest with Mika, when they were tracking a deer. "It is."

"Yeah..." the man looked at her and nodded. "We need to go."

"But where?" Daryl asked.

"Somewhere far away from there."

So Glenn was partially right. Charlie grew fond of Abraham - but just him. At first, she had been wary of his brash demeanor and rough exterior, but as she got to know him better, she kind of like that about him. He had this specific humor that she was so familiar with, and she felt that she knew him for ages.

On the other hand, there was Rosita. They found themselves reunited in the same group, an uneasy tension hung between them like a thick fog. Their eyes met only fleetingly, each glance filled with suspicion and wariness. Charlie kept her distance from Rosita, her guard raised high, unwilling to let down her defenses in the presence of someone she didn't know she could trust. And Rosita, too, held Charlie at arm's length, her gaze cold and calculating.

In conclusion, both ladies were avoiding each other like fire.

"Why are you always walking at the back with us?" the man asked.

"Because I don't trust you and want to keep an eye on you," Charlie answered.

Abraham scoffed. "That's your answer?"

"I might not trust you, but I'm being honest."

As the group trudged through the dense forest, weary from the long journey, Charlie couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over her as they finally came to a stop. The trees loomed overhead, their branches casting dappled shadows on the forest floor, creating a natural canopy that provided some respite from the harsh sun.

Despite the dangers that lurked beyond the safety of their camp, for a brief moment, they allowed themselves to relax, to savor the simple pleasures of companionship and camaraderie. Charlie watched them with a sense of gratitude and wonder, marveling at the resilience and strength that bound them together.

She was passing Tara and the girl stood up, causing them to bump into each other. She shot Tara a sideways glance, her annoyance evident in the furrow of her brow. Charlie was watching her for some time now, as she didn't trust her the most. Tara seemed to hover on the outskirts, her movements stiff and her words forced. Her awkwardness was making it that much harder to bridge the divide. With a sigh, Charlie made a conscious effort to soften her demeanor, to reach out to Tara in spite of her emotions.

"Glenn told me you saved his life," she said.

"He saved mine," Tara answered.

Once again the girl awkwardly chuckled and tried not to look Charlie in the eyes, knowing very well that she was skeptical of her. Charlie found herself torn between her desire for unity within the group and her instinct to protect herself from potential disappointment or betrayal. It was a delicate balance, one that she knew could tip in either direction at any moment. Finally, she made a decision.

"That's how it works with us, right?" Charlie asked and smiled lightly.

"Right," Tara nodded in awe, and then she stuck out a fist in the other girl's direction. "Hey."

Charlie looked down at her arm and then up at her face. She let out a chuckle of true amazement at Tara's actions, but she bumped her fist into hers and turned away, shaking head in amusement.

After several hours of walking, they finally came upon a small clearing bathed in soft moonlight. It was the perfect spot to make camp for the night. Together, they set to work, gathering firewood, pitching tents, and setting up a perimeter of crude traps to ward off any unwanted visitors.

Perched on a fallen log at the edge of the camp, Charlie gazed out into the darkness, her senses tingling with anticipation. She knew that out there, beyond the flickering firelight, might have lurked untold dangers. Daryl sat beside her, his rifle cradled in his lap, his eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of movement.

She felt his heavy gaze on the side of her face. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Did something happen?"

"I just need to forget it."

Daryl could sense something was wrong with both of his friends; however, he couldn't press them to speak. So he just nodded, trying to believe. "All right."

Suddenly, Daryl tensed, his senses on high alert. He could hear the faint rustle of leaves, the soft padding of footsteps approaching through the darkness. Without a word, he signaled to Charlie, and together they rose to their feet, their weapons at the ready.

The morning sun painted the forest with golden hues as the group resumed their journey through the woods. The air was crisp and cool, and the birdsong seemed to dance on the breeze.

As they walked, Charlie couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. She glanced over at Daryl and Rick, who were walking a few paces ahead, their heads bent close together in whispered conversation. Her suspicions aroused, Charlie quickened his pace, closing the distance between them, leaving Glenn in the back.

"Morning," Charlie greeted, trying to sound casual as she joined them.

Daryl and Rick exchanged a quick glance before nodding in response. "Morning, Charlie," Rick replied, the joker smile on his face. Daryl said nothing.

Charlie's eyes narrowed slightly, but she said nothing more, choosing instead to keep a watchful eye on her companions as they continued their journey. Maybe her happy smile didn't buy them and made them suspicious? The tension in the group was palpable, and Charlie's mind raced with questions. What were Daryl and Rick whispering about? Could it be related to what happened last night, when someone was watching the group from the shadows?

Lost in his thoughts, Charlie almost didn't hear it at first: "We need to head north," Rosita said firmly, her voice cutting through the silence.

"North seems too risky," Charlie interrupted.

"I've been through enough to know that we can't afford to take chances," the woman said. "We need to stick to the plan and head north."

"And whose plan is that?" Charlie argued, frustration creeping into her voice. "We can't just rely on blind faith. We need to consider all our options."

Rosita's eyes flashed with annoyance, her patience wearing thin. "And what makes you think your plan is any better, huh? You barely know the first thing about survival out here."

Charlie bristled at the insult, her pride stung. "Hey, I may not be an expert, but I've managed to stay alive this long, haven't I? I think I know a thing or two about making tough decisions."

The tension between them crackled in the air, thick with unspoken resentment and fear. The piercing screams - and Carl's pleas - had spurred the group into action, their hearts pounding with adrenaline as they raced through the woods, their weapons clutched tightly in their hands. They followed the sound, pushing through the underbrush until they reached a clearing dominated by a towering stone formation.

There, on a high outcropping of rock, they saw him—a man trapped and surrounded by five or six walkers, their rotted faces twisted in hunger as they clawed at him with outstretched arms. One of them, clinging to his leg trying to pull the man down.

Without hesitation, which was strange, Charlie led the charge, her axe flashing as she cut through the undead with deadly precision. The rest of the group followed suit.

"Come down," Rick commanded and the strange man got down on the ground when all of Walkers were taken down. He was pale even though his sking had a brown tone. Grimes must have seen the same thing as he asked: "You okay?"

The man threw up right in front of Rick. Charlie watched him, a flicker of judgment crossing her mind, deeming him weak for his reaction. In her mind, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of disdain for the preacher. To her, his reaction was a sign of weakness, a reminder of the fragility of the human spirit in the face of true horror. She had faced the undead countless times before, and while the sight of them still made her skin crawl, she had learned to steel herself against the fear - it's been so long.

"Sorry. Yes. Thank you," he said. "I'm Gabriel."

"Do you have any weapons on you?

He chuckled nervously. "Do I look like I would have any weapons?"

"We don't give two short and curlies what it looks like."

"I have no weapons of any kind," the man said. "The word of God is the only protection I need."

"Sure didn't look like it."

"I called for help," Gabriel smiled. "Help came. Do you have... any food? Whatever I...I had left, it just hit the ground. Do you have a camp?"

Charlie didn't trust him. It wasn't just his display of weakness earlier that bothered her—it was something deeper, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Perhaps it was the way he looked at them, his eyes filled with a strange mixture of gratitude and apprehension. Or maybe it was the way he seemed to linger on the outskirts of the group, as if he were keeping a watchful eye on them from a distance. Whatever it was, Charlie couldn't shake the feeling that Gabriel was hiding something, that there was more to him than met the eye.

"No. Do you?"

"I have a church."

"Hold your hands above your head," said Rick, fed up with the priest. "How many walkers have you killed?"

"Not any actually."

"How many people have you killed?"

"None."

"Why?"

"Because the Lord abhors violence," he cut his answer short.

Charlie couldn't shake off the nagging feeling of distrust towards Gabriel. He seemed jittery, constantly on edge, and Charlie couldn't help but wonder if his fear was a facade. She resolved to keep her guard up.

"You said you got a church?" Michonne asked.

As the group followed Gabriel deeper into the woods, their footsteps echoing on the forest floor, they soon emerged into a small clearing bathed in golden sunlight. There, nestled among the trees, stood Gabriel's church—a beautiful, white structure that seemed to glow with an otherworldly light. adorned with intricate carvings and stained glass windows that cast colorful patterns on the ground below. But despite the church's heavenly appearance, Charlie couldn't shake the feeling of unease that lingered in the air. There was something about the place that set her on edge, and there was an unsettling feeling that sooner or later they will find out.

As they stepped inside, the group fanned out, their eyes scanning the interior for any sign of something suspicious. The church was surprisingly well-kept, with rows of wooden pews lining the nave and a simple altar at the front adorned with candles and empty cans of food. They parted their ways so it would be quicker to find any possible danger. She moved cautiously, her hand resting on the hilt of her axe as she scanned the dimly lit corners of the church for any sign of danger.

Yet, despite her best efforts, she found nothing out of the ordinary—no hidden traps, no secret passages, nothing to indicate that Gabriel was anything other than what he appeared to be. And yet, the feeling of unease persisted, gnawing at her like a persistent itch that she couldn't scratch.

As they regrouped outside the church, Charlie glanced back at the pristine white structure, her mind racing with questions. What secrets did it hold? And what was Gabriel's true purpose in leading them here? Unfortunately for now, the answers were left with no answer as the place looked just fine. However, she had a feeling that something bad is going to happen.

"Where did your supplies come from?"

"Luck," Gabriel said with a smile. "Our annual canned food drive. Things fell apart right after we finished it. When I ran out of food then I started scavenging. I've cleaned out every place nearby, except for one."

"What kept you from it?" Rick asked

"It's overrun."

"How many?"

"A dozen or so," the priest shrugged. "Maybe more."

"We can handle a dozen."

"Bob and I will go with you," Sasha announced.

"I'll go too," Charlie said immediately after. "Tyreese should stay here help keep Judith safe."

"That'll be alright?" Rick asked, looking at the man.

"Sure," Tyreese nodded with a smile.

"I'm grateful for it," Rick patted her back and turned to Charlie. "You're staying here. I have one more child."

"Rick..."

"Thanks."

Charlie, eager to prove his worth and itching to be out there with the rest, felt frustration boil within her as Rick's commanding voice singled him out to stay behind. The weight of disappointment settled heavily on her shoulders as she watched the others prepare to venture into the unknown, her desire to contribute burning fiercely against the constraints of Rick's directive. Each moment spent in the church felt like an eternity, her frustration growing with every passing minute, mind swirling with thoughts of missed opportunities.

"So...left behind again, huh?" Charlie bumped arms with Carl's.

"Back to the beginnings," he smiled. "I don't get it. We were out there, we proofed ourselves."

"How was it for you?"

"Except thinking that my sister was being eaten, and babysitting my father...not so bad," he answered. "It was better with Michonne. She pulled him together, but..."

"But?"

"Something is different in him," he said. "I mean...It's good, but something is different. He bit a man's throat with his own teeth."

"Well, sometimes...adults, have to do things to protect their loved ones."

"I understand that Charlie," he said. "And I'm glad. I just don't want him to turn crazy again."

She nodded.

"And did you have to do something like that to protect those who you loved?"

For the hundredth time during those past days, when she was just sitting and doing nothing, Mika and Lizzie flashed in front of her eyes. "Everyone had to do something at some point," she answered. "Let's go outside, it's stuffy in here."

Charlie and Carl stepped outside the church, the crisp air hitting their faces as they ventured around the perimeter. As they traced their fingers along the rough surface, they noticed deep scratches etched into the wood, resembling the marks left behind by something desperate. Carl's brow furrowed in concern as he ran his hand over one particularly deep gouge, his mind racing with questions about what could have caused such damage. Charlie stood beside him, silent but equally intrigued, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he studied the intricate patterns of destruction.

A sense of unease settled over them as they continued their exploration, the realization sinking in that they were not alone in this desolate world.

"Hey!" Rick called as the scavenging group was back. Charlie jumped scared by the sudden noise. "Tyreese said you were out back."

"You found food?" she asked.

"A lot of it," Rick nodded with a big smile, but it faded as he saw scratches on the walls. "What is it?"

"A proof and a warning, I guess," she said.

"Those scratches. They're deep, like knives or something," Carl said. "Someone was trying to get in."

"We found something else."

"Whatever it is, we can handle it," Grimes said.

"And we can start by trapping the innocent priest and make him confess," Charlie expressed her doubts towards the priest.

"It doesn't mean Gabriel is a bad guy for sure," Carl rolled his eyes. "But it means something."

"You'll burn for this"

Words stood out on the white wall of the church. She touched the wood and felt uneven paint under her fingers, as a shiver ran down her spine at the thought of the events that must have happened here and the person who had left such a haunting message. With a final glance at the ominous words etched into the church wall, Charlie turned and followed Carl back inside, her mind racing with thoughts.

The dim candlelight flickers, casting dancing shadows on the worn walls adorned with religious iconography. Despite the harsh reality outside, laughter and chatter fill the air, a temporary respite from the constant fear and danger. Rick, despite his rugged features, he shared a smile as he was enjoying the peace. Daryl Dixon leant against a pillar nearby Charlie, his crossbow within arm's reach as he enjoys a rare moment of relaxation.

“I was wonderin' how you were holdin' up, if you were safe,” Daryl said out of nowhere. “When I saw Rick and there was no sign of you. Then we found Glenn and the others…I thought I lost you.”

Charlie turned to him, her eyes meeting his with a mixture of surprise and gratitude. "I was worried about you too, Daryl. I don’t like it when you’re away."

“Mm,” Daryl nodded, his gaze returning to the candles flickering before them. A small smile tugged at the corners of Charlie's lips as she reached out, her hand finding his and giving it a reassuring squeeze. And in the flickering light of the candles, amid the shadows of the church, they found a moment of respite—a moment to simply be, together.

Chatter filling the room, as the rest of the group savors the simple pleasure of a proper meal. In that moment, the group wasn't just survivors; they are a family, bound together by love, loyalty, and the shared determination.

Only Father Gabriel was missing, as he decided to pray in solitude, behind heavy doors.

"I'd like to propose a toast!" Abraham stood up from his place. "I look around this room...and I see survivors. Each and every one of you has earned that title."

Charlie felt sick immediately. The food was not fulfilling, but rather making her sick. Each day was a battle, a relentless struggle to stay one step ahead of the relentless tide of death. Killing alive, killing the dead, killing innocent and the bad guys, watching someone killing her friends. Their survival was dripping with death of others, and every breath reminded her of those who she lost. She did earned the title of survivor...by making it impossible for others.

"You good?" Daryl asked, touching her leg.

"Yeah," she smiled and nodded.

"Is that all you want to be?" Abraham asked. She turned her head, thinking it was a question for her. "Wake up in the morning, fight the undead pricks, forage for food, go to sleep at night with two eyes open, rinse and repeat?" he asked. "Cause you can do that. I mean, you got the strength, skill. Now, we get Eugene to Washington and he will make the dead die and the living will have this world again. Eugene, what's in DC?

Charlie scoffed. That's why his group joined them. To have a bunch of fools, protecting an even bigger fool.

"Infrastructure constructed to withstand pandemics even of this fubar magnitude. That means food, fuel, refuge," Eugene said.

Abraham nodded in support his friend, who tried to make a point. "Restart. You can be safe there. Safer since ever since the whole thing started."

Judith started cooing. "She's in. If she's in, I'm in. We're in."

"What?" Charlie asked, bringing all eyes on her again. The hopeful smiles dropped when her friends saw her face. "You'll just believe them? After what happened Terminus?"

"Charlie..."

"No. We already followed you once to a place that had...how did you call it? Infrastructure constructed to withstand pandemics. And guess what happened to it?" she asked still from her place on the ground, but turning her head to the ginger. "The CDC. Ashes of it maybe are still here it the air. You think Washington still stands? Do you even have a proof that Eugene says the truth?"

"He's one of us and I trust him," Abraham said. "I don't understand you, Charlie. You have a chance to live a normal life again. What waits for you here?"

She got up.

"The same thing that with you. Death," she spat out. "You need us to protect him, and you know that many of us will die on the road, not seeing even a peek of Washington."

“You think you won’t die here?” Abraham asked. “Besides, we would be save. We have a bus."

"Oh that means nothing! We once had an RV. And that didn't protect our friends, or Carol's daughter from being killed. We had cars. Nothing. People died," she said. "You say DC is safe? We had a whole prison with thick walls, we had guns, and many more people," Charlie said. "But guess what? The bad guys had tanks," she almost closed the distance between them. "So Abraham, you see...we may have a bus...but life may have a tank. And your plan sounds great, really. But you know what's also great? That plans like to fuck up."

And she left the church, so the cool breeze could cool her.

She couldn't shake the image of Abraham's dismissive tone, his words echoing in her mind like a taunt. A douche who just wanted to use the group of fool for his own purposes, convincing said group with a big talk about better live…

A twig snapped nearby, and her muscles tensed, ready to lash out at whatever—or whoever—comes near. She reached for her axe and tightly grope the hand of her weapon. But as Bob emerged from the shadows, his gentle gaze met hers.

"Woah, it's just me," he said, raising his hands in surrender, and her grip on the axe loosened slightly. "Can I?" Bob sits down beside her, his presence a soothing balm to her frayed nerves. Without a word, he offers her a sympathetic smile, understanding the turmoil raging within her. "I know it's tough, but we're all just trying to survive out here."

"I know, I know," she groaned and covered her eyes. "And I do want the best for us all, but it's so hard to trust them."

"Don't put so much pressure on yourself, Charlie," he patted her knee. "Not everyone wants to kill us."

"Maybe you're right."

"Remember that you're surrounded by people that care about you."

"Thanks, Bob. I’ll think about it."

"Anytime, Charlie," he gave her one of those assuring smiles. "Take care of yourself, alright?"

"You too, Bob. You too," she said. Charlie pointed at the building that was behind them. "You coming?"

"In a moment. Right after I finish Operation Yellow River"

"Okay," she chuckled and turned back to enter the building.

#daryl dixon #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixon series #daryl dixon twd #daryl dixon x reader #daryl fanfiction #daryl the walking dead #daryl twd #daryl x reader

[bibbityboppitybillyharvgrove]

I Find Comfort in You- S.Wilson

Summary: Sam is away on a 2 month long mission where he can’t contact anyone, Y/N struggles without him and he struggles without her. Everything falls into place once they reunite.

Pairings: Sam x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Use of Y/N, mentions of Hydra, female!reader, Bucky is a mean grump, Sam being a sweetie, Y/N was a brainwashed assassin, nightmares/night terrors, making out, gets a little steamy at the end (if I missed any please let me know)

Author’s note: This is my first Sam fic, he deserves a lot more love. This is also the longest fic I have ever written. If you notice any mistakes please feel free to point them out, I edit my own fics, so there is a chance for mistakes or little plot holes here and there. If you have any suggestions feel free to leave them, my asks are open for any suggestions on my writing or any questions you may have.

My full Masterlist

The Avengers were a semi-normal group of people. Some were super soldiers, some were gods, some were experimented on, some were veterans, one turned into a green giant when angered, one was a guy who made himself a suit of iron, one was a robot, but one thing they all had in common was trauma, some more than others. Each of them had their fair share, whether it was from childhood, from the war, from being captured or from a mission gone wrong. There were quite a few people on the team that struggled with nightmares but they had a healthy means of coping with them. But there were also a few people on the team that still struggled with finding a healthy coping mechanism.

They were encouraged to talk to the rest of the team but they didn’t want to burden others with their problems. One of those people being Y/N, she was the one that had the hardest time trying to find a healthy coping mechanism. She usually would talk to Sam who was always willing to lend an ear and a shoulder to cry on, but he had left for a solo mission 2 months ago. She was always happy with him around, no matter how upset she was previously. Since Sam had left, she was struggling and sinking deeper into herself than she ever was. Steve was pushing her and Bucky into talking but neither of them relented. 

The group all assumed that she was a little more reserved than usual because she was quickly approaching a year of freedom. Although she was free, she didn’t feel free, the longer that Sam was gone, the less she felt free. Hydra still had her in a chokehold, her nightmares flooding back, her brainwashed memories haunting her every single day.

Steve pushed Bucky to talk to her, telling him that Sam wasn’t here so she had nobody to talk to, nobody that she felt comfortable enough to share what was on her mind constantly. “Look Steve, I get that you’re trying to look out for her but she doesn’t know me and I don’t know her. She knows the Winter Soldier, that is all she will ever know,” Bucky snapped at Steve before leaving the gym. She passed by Bucky as she entered the gym, he slammed his vibranium shoulder into her. She glared at the back of his head before finding her way by Steve. She found his presence comforting but she couldn’t get herself to talk to him.

“You can talk to me, you know? I know I’m not Sam but it’s better if you talk to somebody. You’re quieter than usual.” Steve offered her.

“I’m fine but thank you anyway.” She replied with a smile, of course it was a fake smile but it seemed to relax the blond slightly. With that Steve walked away reluctantly. He knew that she wasn’t fine but he wasn’t going to force anything out of her. 

She decided to just run on the treadmill for an hour before making her way to her bedroom. Once she walked in she was immediately overwhelmed. Her room was a disaster, all of the books that were on her bookshelf were scattered all over the room, her bed was unmade, she had dirty clothes all over the floor, her clean clothes piled on a chair in the corner of her room and the only mirror in her bedroom smashed to a million pieces. Instead of staying in her room, she grabbed something to keep her busy and made her way to Sam’s room. He always had his room organized and neat. It was a lot calmer than her room to say the least. 

She had hesitated slightly before going in but remembered that Sam was more than okay with her being in his room. She entered the room, immediately getting enveloped with Sam’s comforting scent, and made her way to his bed. She lifted the blanket and got under the covers, snuggling into his warm, soft blankets. She had put on the show New Girl as background noise and pulled out the blanket she was crocheting, she needed to keep her hands busy and her mind stimulated. Crocheting was the one thing that she could do for hours with not a single thought in mind. Eventually she grew tired and dozed off in the middle of a row, her arms falling limp at her sides, her head lulling back onto the headboard. She made a mental note to tend to her room after a quick nap. The fact that Sam was set to return that day completely slipping her mind.

As she peacefully slept in his bed, Sam was finally returning from his 2 month long undercover mission. He couldn’t contact anyone on the team, only Fury, meaning he hadn’t been able to talk to Y/N in 2 months. He was worried about her and that worry only grew when he saw only Steve and Bucky on the roof to greet him. Bucky simply patted Sam on the back and then walked away, leaving just him and Steve. 

“Where’s Y/N? Is she doing okay?” Sam asked, he had grown used to seeing her whenever he would return from missions so he was nervous when he hadn’t seen her.

“She hasn’t been doing well since you left,” Steve replied.

“Do you know where she is?”

“I saw her go into her room after working out.”  With that, Sam walked off towards her bedroom, thinking that she might be there. Not only was he met with an empty room but a disaster splayed out in front of him. That’s when his worry spiked to an all time high, the last time she did this was when she first got to the compound. “Friday, where’s Y/N?” Sam asked the AI.

“She’s in your bedroom.” With his answer, he practically sprinted to his room, throwing open the door only to find her fast asleep in his bed, her latest crocheting project laying on her lap. He let out an audible sigh of relief when he saw her.

He decided to let her sleep and to get himself cleaned up. While he was in the shower, Y/N had woken up with a start, an old Hydra memory plaguing her mind. When she recognized her surroundings, she relaxed back into Sam’s bed. This time she laid herself down so her head was resting on the pillows, her crochet hook and yarn ball clattering against the hardwood as it fell. That’s when she heard the shower running and Sam’s humming. She perked up a bit, sitting up in the bed and anxiously waited for Sam to get out of the shower. 10 minutes had gone by, the shower finally turning off, then the bathroom door opened a minute later revealing a freshly showered Sam in just his boxers.

“Sammy!” He had turned away from his dresser towards her and opened his arms for a hug, knowing she needed one. She scrambled out of bed and ran straight into his open arms. Y/N was genuinely happy for the first time in two months. “I missed you so much, honey.”

“I missed you too, sugar. So much.” Sam was peppering light kisses wherever he could reach. He didn’t stop until he heard her giggling. He gently grabbed her face and made her look in his eyes, “Steve said you weren’t doing well, you wanna talk?” she knew he was concerned so she nodded.

“Can we cuddle while we talk?”

“Of course we can, let me just put on some clothes.”

Sam had quickly gotten dressed, throwing on a random pair of sweatpants and an Airforce t-shirt before getting into bed next to Y/N. The two of them laid on their sides, facing each other. They talked for literal hours, about anything and everything. She told him how her nightmares were worse than before, that she had a hard time sleeping a full night because of her memories of Hydra. She told him that she didn’t feel free anymore, that she felt like Hydra was still breathing down her neck. He had told her that he felt isolated and incredibly lonely on his mission. That he was physically hurting because he couldn’t contact her or anyone else on the team. He told her that his nightmares about Riley had come back, that he had a hard time sleeping on the bed in the safe house and resorted to the floor again.

They both helped each other through some intense emotions, validated each other’s emotions and feelings, laughed at each other’s jokes and then just enjoyed each other’s company. Sam’s large warm hand found its way to rest on her cheek, his thumb gently stroking her cheekbone, looking right in her eyes, nothing but admiration and adoration for her.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?” She asked with a nervous giggle.

“No, there’s nothing on your face. I was just admiring what was in front of me,” Sam said, “Can I not admire you?” Her face flushed, pushing her face into his chest.

“You are so annoying,” She whined.

“What? You’ve never admired me before?” He teased her. She lifted her head back up to look at his face again, her head slightly tilted.

“I’ve admired your ass,” She teased back. Sam started to hysterically laugh.

“Wow, I was not expecting that to come out of your mouth. Sugar, you dirty girl!”

“What? You have a nice ass! what do you call it again? The round brown?”

“And I’m the annoying one?” They joked and laughed for a bit longer before finally settling down and relaxing once more. “I’m serious though, I wanted to admire you. I missed you and your beautiful self, it was a long two months.”

She let out a hum of agreement, “I find comfort in you,” she admitted, “So please stop me if I’m reading this situation wrong,” she whispered. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. She leaned up, glancing at his lips then back in his eyes. The furrow in Sam’s brow softened, instead of her kissing him, Sam was the one that connected their lips. It was gentle, sleepy and slightly sloppy but neither of them cared. He slowly pulled away causing her to chase his lips. “Why’d you pull away?” She whined.

“I need air, sugar. If you want me to keep kissing you I need to be breathing,” Sam was breathless but he still managed to chuckle. He sat up in the bed, Y/N following him. He pulled her onto his lap, their chests touching, barely any distance between them. She pressed their lips together once again, this time the kiss was much more heated. Teeth clashing, tongues colliding, hands wandering and grabbing whatever they could. The two had their shirts pulled off within minutes, flinging them across the room. As Sam’s hands went for her bra, his door swung open, causing the two to yell out, Sam wrapping a blanket around her to cover her top half.

“Oh God, I am so sorry! I couldn’t find either of you so I came in here. I was not expecting that to happen,” Steve rambled, his face bright red, his hands over his eyes.

“What’s with all the yell-holy shit! Bird brain is getting some!” Tony laughed as he peaked over Steve’s shoulder.

“Oooh, who is it?! Is it that agent that was eyeing him last week?” Natasha’s voice sounded from the hall. Her head soon appeared in the doorway, her face bright red from the hysterical laughter that spilled from her lips. “Y/L/N? I called it months ago!”

“Get out! All of you, get out!” Sam shouted at all of them. “Friday, shut the door and lock it!” The AI did as she was told, the door slamming shut and the lock clicking.

“That was so embarrassing! Why didn’t you lock the door before?” She whined, hiding her face in his shoulder.

“I didn’t think this would happen. The woman of my dreams, half naked in my lap, willingly making out with me? Never expected that one, sugar,” Sam replied, humor laced in his voice. 

“The man of my dreams, half naked under me, willingly making out with me? Never expected that one, honey,” She mocked. She slowly trailed kisses from his shoulder, up his neck, across his jaw and back to his lips.

“Now, where were we?” Sam asked against her lips.

“I don’t quite remember, maybe you can jog my memory?” She retorted, planting chaste kisses on his lips between every few words. His hands slid up from her waist to the band of her bra, finally unclasping it and pulling it off.

“It would be my pleasure.”

#sam wilson x reader #sam wilson x fem!reader #sam wilson x female!reader #sam wilson #the falcon x reader #the falcon #marvel #mcu #marvel cinematic universe #Steve Rogers #Bucky Barnes #soft!Sam #grumpy!bucky #bucky x reader #steve rogers x reader

[south-of-heaven]

Bayley x reader

Reader is there when Bayley returns and just like everyone else she doesn’t know Bayley is coming back when bayleys music hits she can’t believe it until she sees Bayley. Bayley sees reader slowly getting out of the ring and opens her arms for reader and reader like runs into her

I'm here || Bayley x Reader

Summary: Emotions are all over the place when your girl returns.

As you stood in the ring, locked in an intense match, you heard a familiar sound that made your heart skip a beat. Bayley's theme song boomed through the arena, and for a moment, you couldn't believe your ears. You had heard rumors of her possible return, but you refused to get your hopes up.

But then, there she was—Bayley herself—walking out with a confident stride and that signature smile that could light up an entire room. You froze in disbelief, unable to tear your eyes away from her. It felt like everything around you was moving in slow motion, and the only thing that mattered was the sight of your girl returning to WWE.

As Bayley made her way down the ramp, your heart pounded in your chest. She locked eyes with you, and you could see the joy and excitement in her expression. The emotions overwhelmed you, and without a second thought, you slowly climbed out of the ring.

Bayley continued her approach, and you couldn't hold back any longer. The emotions that had been building up since her departure burst forth, and you ran towards her with all the speed you could muster. She opened her arms wide, and you leaped into a run, throwing yourself into her embrace.

In that moment, it felt like time stood still. The noise of the crowd faded into the background, and it was just the two of you, reunited after what felt like an eternity. You buried your face in her shoulder, tears streaming down your cheeks as you held onto her tightly. All the longing, the missing, and the loneliness melted away in her arms.

Bayley held you just as tightly, her own tears mingling with yours. "I'm here, baby," she whispered, her voice filled with love and reassurance. "I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."

You nodded, unable to find the words to express how much her return meant to you. It was like a piece of your heart that had been missing was finally back, and you never wanted to let her go again.

The commentators went wild, capturing the emotional reunion between you and Bayley. The crowd erupted into cheers, witnessing the raw and powerful moment of love and connection between the two of you.

As the match continued, Bayley remained by your side, cheering you on from the ringside. You could feel her presence, her support, and her love throughout the entire match. And even though you were in the middle of a competition, knowing that she was there, back in your life, made everything feel right again.

After the match, you and Bayley shared a quiet moment backstage. She held you close, her arms wrapped around you protectively. "I missed you so much," you whispered, your voice trembling with emotion.

"I missed you too, more than you'll ever know," Bayley replied, pressing a tender kiss to your forehead. "But I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere. We're in this together, always."

And in that moment, you knew it was true. No matter what challenges or obstacles life threw your way, you had Bayley by your side, and together, you were unstoppable. Your love for each other would carry you through anything, and the joy of her return would forever be etched in your hearts.

#wwe fanfiction #wwe x reader #pro wrestling #wrestling #wwe #bayley #bayley wwe #bayley fanfiction #bayley x reader

[the-path-to-redemption]

Like they said the split up was inspired by GOT. And like how can they miss the big point of the splitting up was how messy the reunion would be. The fact that nobody had anything to say to Blake is a failure of the promise that splitting up would chase.

Blake’s abandonment should have hurt the team. It should have been a season long mess. At least a ep each like Zuko at the bare minimum.

Even Amphibia a much more lighthearted comedic cartoon dealt with the situation of friend betrayal a lot more seriously.

Long Post Ahead

What I think a lot of people forgot is that Blake also abandoned everyone else aside from Yang and Sun (even though people keep villainizing the boy), and that honestly should've affected all of them like you said.

I can see Ruby acting like she did in canon, because she's supposed to be the optimist and who wanted to keep the team together. But the price of that is evident, she barely got anything to herself, and when she did they kept trying to talk it away from her (Jaune in vol 4, Yang in Vol 8).

I don't think I can see Weiss understanding, even when she did compare her circumstances with Blake's when they're no way the same. Weiss was FORCED to go home by her father and she was miserable there until she decided to leave for her friends and her own well being.

Blake RAN. She ran from her friends, from the destruction of Beacon, back to a paradise island where her loving parents reside to....take a break. It took Sun nearly dying for her to actually change her mind and aid Mistral, at the expense of a good civil rights storyline and her house.

The split up COULD'VE worked; we've seen it with the 2 years time-skip in One Piece (spoilers), and you didn't need to watch the supplementary movie 3D2Y to understand how much it affected the main characters, especially Luffy who was 17 at the time. The difference? Each Strawhat members had their moments after the split, the major change in the plot, and after they've been reunited. RWBY remained the same, even with the personalities being butchered.

If anything, their dynamic got worse; Ruby cannot rely on anyone and vice versa, Weiss suddenly forgot swordplay for 2-3 seasons and relied on summoning, Blake literally cannot do shit by herself and Yang only work with Blake. None of them feels like part of a unit anymore, and we're supposed to believe that they're supposed to be after a brief period of time apart and some more time growing together again.

A load of horseshit if you ask me.

#answered #anonymous #rwde #rwby critical #ruby rose critical #weiss schnee critical #blake belladonna critical #yang xiao long critical

[if-mirrormine]

new beginnings

summary: clara reuniting with nora

pairing: clara x nora (duh)

word count: 1152

**unedited//i finally bring you the super secret drabble! no one asked for this but i felt compelled to write it nonetheless**

the rain came out of nowhere, clear blue skies suddenly turning into swirls of black and grey before opening up and drenching the streets. clara curses out loud, using her free arm to shield herself as she hurries down the sidewalk, tugging on the leash to spur her pet into action. the great dane easily keeps up with her, letting out a bark of excitement as they run through the downpour.

her eyes land on an open diner up ahead and she forces herself to move faster. with the rain showing no sign of letting up and being so far away from home, her only choice is seek shelter inside.

opening the door, she's immediately surrounded by the warmth and the delicious aroma of the food being made and she breathes a sigh of relief. atlas follows her in, shaking his wet fur and dripping all over the floor as she closes the door.

hearing the bell on the door announcing their presence, a voice calls out her from somewhere behind the counter. "be right with you!" a woman appears a few moments later, her greying hair pulled back into a messy braid though a few pieces have fallen out to frame her face. she wears an apron over jeans and a blouse, a pair of worn sneakers completing her outfit. despite how haggard she looks right now, clara can't help but think that she's quite beautiful.

the woman grabs a menu before walking up to her, visibly shaking herself from her thoughts before putting on a smile for her. up close, clara realises that she recognises the woman and after a brief moment of digging through her memories, she remembers from where.

"nora?" she says, the name rolling off her tongue as if it's the most natural thing on earth.

the woman blinks in surprise before a look of recognition flickers across her face. "oh! ms. serrano?"

she stifles a laugh, shifting the leash to her other hand to cover her mouth. "clara," she corrects gently.

"of course," nora replies with a soft chuckle of her own before she glances down, finally noticing the great dane who perks up at the attention. "and who's this?"

"atlas." at the sound of his name, he stands up, tongue lolling out of his mouth as his tail begins to wag, and nora smiles at him as she leans down to pet him. "i apologise for all the water he's dripped on the floor. the storm came out of nowhere."

"that's alright," the other woman says, flashing her a friendly smile. "he's too cute to get mad at." after a few more moments of her petting him, she straightens up and takes a deep breath before handing her the menu she's holding.

she looks down at it and upon seeing the mc's name printed on the front of it, a sad smile touches her lips. she remembers when she used to teach them, how much she enjoyed having them in her class and her heart clenches at the thought of them still missing. she can't imagine the pain she must feel.

she looks up back at nora, meeting her eyes. "i think that's beautiful," she says, tracing a finger over their name. she doesn’t apologise or express her condolences; all of that goes without saying. she doubts it would help in any case.

nora glances down at the menu, a momentary look of sadness flashing across her face. "thank you," she says quietly before clearing her throat, clearly hoping to move on from the topic. "you can sit anywhere you like and i'll bring over some hot coffee to get you started."

clara nods, thanking the woman as she looks around the restaurant for a place she and atlas to sit and wait out the storm. as nora returns to the counter, she walks over to a corner booth infront of the windows and takes a seat, atlas dutifully laying down on the floor next to her. she flicks through the menu, not looking for anything specific but she finds herself lingering on the dessert page. she's always had such a sweet tooth and with all the options in front of her, she doesn't know how she'll choose.

nora reappears a few minutes later with a mug and a pot of coffee, setting both down on the table before looking at clara. "is there anything you'd like to order?"

she looks over the options again, humming quietly to herself. "what would you recommend?"

nora glances at the menu, a barely contained smile on her face at some inside joke that clara isn't apart of but that she longs to be. "depends on your tastes but i'd say the tiramisu."

she smiles in response. "that sounds perfect."

nora nods and leaves to prepare the dessert, and clara takes a moment to sip her coffee in hopes of warming up some. it's nice seeing the woman after all time, even if its under less than ideal circumstances. she'd always felt like the two of them could be good friends if only they'd hung out more but there was never a right time. when opportunities to see each other had finally ceased, she felt as though she'd lost out on something great, something she'd regret not attempting to pursue. and she did for a while, until eventually her regret faded and she was able to finally move on. but now, sitting here in the woman's restaurant, she thinks she's been given a second chance. the universe is smiling down at her, telling her that she finally has her chance to go after the things she really wants.

when nora comes back a second time, it's with the plate of tiramisu and a bowl of water for atlas. the dog once again perks up, his tail thumping against the tiled floor as she places the bowl in front of him and clara feels butterflies in bloom in her stomach.

"here you go," nora tells her, setting the plate in front of her with a warm smile. "enjoy."

she's about to turn and walk away when clara finally makes the most of the opportunity she's been given. "wait," she says and the other woman looks back at her. "why don't you join me?"

nora takes a cursory glance around at the restaurant and upon seeing that it's empty besides the two of them, she looks back at her, chewing her bottom lip. "are you sure?"

clara smiles at her, doing her best to seem warm and welcoming. "of course," she says, her voice genuine. "there's nothing i'd like more."

nora glances away, flustered, the corners of her lips twitching upwards slightly. "okay," she replies softly. "yeah, i'd like that."

as she sits down, clara attempts to hide her excitement behind her cup of coffee. this is it; the moment she's always longed for.

the start of something new and beautiful.

#i always struggle with how to end these💀💀 #but it is what it is #for everything im gonna do to nora in game #she deserves all the good things #just a little bit of happiness lmao #anyway i hope you like it #and that it lives up to expectations #mm: nora #mm: clara #mirror mine

[uno-lino]

LACUNA: Her Missing Piece

~He was home.  

He was a star glittering in the immense universe.    

He was the sunrise over a daisy-dusted meadow.

He was her missing piece.~

-pairing: Hwang Hyunjin X Original Character -word count: 14k -genre: romance, angst - mutual pining :(, hurt/comfort :( -tropes: fakerelationship!au, soulmate!au, lowkey enemies to lovers -warnings: swearing, that's pretty much it *shrug* NOTE: my first public story yay! (I'm scared) :D i tend to write only horror/thriller, not romance, but I'm trying to experiment with different genres rn. this is dedicated to my best friend @unboxedfish for her birthday <33 Ilysm hun, I rly hope this is worth it :))

-summary: Hyunjin and OC suffered a bad breakup due to misunderstandings - five years later they're reunited, and the tension remains to be high...yet so is the strength of their love. -music to inspire: When someone you love becomes a memory | Playlist | - YouTube

In ’99, Ji Elena started to view the world in black and white.

Many of the high-school students who’d graduated that year remembered the summer as a carefree utopia spent among hyper-active acquaintances, a period of release from the incessant nature of education. It was a time when the musky air smelled of barbeques, and the bronzed pavements glistened with the beam of the sun. Worries ceased temporarily, as groups lounged beneath self-erected gazebos by the refreshing, rippling water of the lake of the Red-Light District; the blazing heat was unusually relentless, perhaps reflecting the high spirits of the youth.

Elena remembered the month of August as a blur of disarray spent surrounded by crumpled, tear-stained story drafts, her burdened mind racing with potential angsty ideas, all thankfully allowing her to bequeath her bitter experiences to imaginary characters. She could count on one hand how many occasions she’d exited her bedroom to meet her friends, and, even then, her attitude had been so solemn that she had returned home, regretting having gone out at all.

Needless to say, her recent breakup had affected her incredibly.

Her ex-boyfriend was amply tall, and had elegant, symmetrical features with deep, black, oval-shaped eyes with which Elena had once had a romantic infatuation. Somehow, every outfit he chose to wear - being a member of sixth-form - flattered his well-proportioned body beautifully, and his bones structured his angelic face with not a groove out of place. His caring, innocent smile was striking, but his ex-lover had first fallen for his humility: his demeanour was friendly, almost alluring, breezing through Year Thirteen as though the final exams did not bother him in the slightest, prioritising the joviality of adolescence over the futile nature of results.  

This well-known airy manner had constantly enticed swarms of girls to flirt with him ingratiatingly like bees drawn to honey. Some would purposefully knock over objects in front of him which he would pick up, forging a grin; others would brush their grabby fingers over his own in the library, to be met with a patient nod of acknowledgement, but much to their disdain, nothing further.

Hwang Hyunjin’s reticent composure had only ever faltered in one person’s presence.

Elena brought out something curious from within him that frightened him due to its unfamiliarity.

She tended to stick to her own business, refusing to let others’ opinions influence her in any way. In lessons, she kept her pretty head down, engrossed in the classic Greek literature she so adored, analysing Homer’s ‘The Odyssey’ as though she were in her own, distant world. Elena had always been an A-grade student, but did not give herself enough credit for her natural academic talents that she lived to further improve, being a writer, dreaming of working in publishing. It was common to find her poring over prose (typically with her protective best friend Luna who distracted her in only the best way), holding her aspirations in the back of her intelligent mind.  

Opposing her stoic attitude externally, Elena was also a person to hold grudges against those who did her wrong, unforgiving until they were able to redeem themselves. Her confidence had been knocked drastically on numerous occasions, but – luckily – they had been considerably straight-forward to overcome, reaffirming within herself that doubting her abilities was futile; she was worth more than gold.

Her grudge against Hwang Hyunjin proved otherwise.

Elena couldn’t remember ever despising a person as much as she did him. Each time she just so happened to be in his unfortunate presence, her insides tingled with loathing - she couldn’t even bear to look at him, since, if she were to, she’d be reminded of how abysmally they had abandoned one another. 

Why did Hyunjin seem so outwardly unaffected, though? It irritated the girl endlessly to see him acting so laid-back preceding their unspeakable breakup which had occurred nearing the end of Year Thirteen. She had even seen him smiling and laughing along with his popular group of friends only one week afterwards, evoking such crushing despair within her that she could barely travel around the grounds of Hellevator High due to such intense, anxious trepidation. 

When Elena eventually came to accept her hatred, she vowed never to see Hwang Hyunjin again. Ever.   

She had no idea that she’d soon face the most difficult decision of her life.

~ <3 ~ 

-FIVE YEARS EARLIER-

Hyunjin first realised he had a crush on Elena when he struggled to simply ask her for book recommendations for his coursework. He was shyer than he let on, one of the huge downfalls in his personality which he was self-conscious about (as well as his uncontrollable blushing habit).  

‘Uh…hi,’ was his introduction, scratching the back of his neck around which his lanyard was hanging - not that anyone had to learn his name; he was famous enough. 

Luna had been the first to look up, surveying Hyunjin from top to toe in curiosity. She nudged Elena - both of their unreadable stares had penetrated the boy before them, causing him to look solely down at the table of the library they were seated at.  

‘Sorry to disturb you,’ he tried. ‘Are you free right now?’

The two grills exchanged a glance that intrigued Hyunjin. His target answered, ‘Yeah, I am. What’s up?’ 

‘I just want to ask you something, if that’s okay...’  

Luna watched the two of them exit through the library’s glass doors, her eyes large behind her glasses. Hyunjin shuffled his feet as he and Elena came to a stop in the corridor outside, his pupils flicking all around the space, focusing on anything other than her. 

‘Do you have any book recommendations for the NEA for Literature?’ he started, his voice wavering. ‘You know, the Non-Examed- I mean, the Assessment- whatever it’s called, heh.’ 

‘I actually already have my two texts,’ said Elena, shrugging brightly. 

‘Which ones?’

‘‘The Odyssey’, and ‘Paradise Lost’.’ Her passion was evident in the way she released the words. ‘But, to be honest, picking your theme for the NEA should be totally up to you. What genres do you like?’ 

‘I like romance,’ Hyunjin informed, fiddling with his fingers, ‘especially when the characters go from enemies to lovers. That’s the only thing I read, really, heh.’ 

‘Then, that's it…Can I ask you a question, though?’ Not even awaiting an answer from him, she enquired, ‘How come you’re asking me? I mean, your friend Han Jisung is in our Literature class.’ 

‘Well, why not?’ He flushed maroon. ‘I figured I’d get to know you.’ 

‘That’s kind of you,’ she’d smiled contentedly, but her demeanour concealed something else. ‘Good luck with picking your books.’ 

Elena had turned to go, her black skirt swishing against her thighs, but the male had caught her wrist, his face lined with desperation as he called, ‘Wait!’ 

Hyunjin was silent for a minute, scanning her soft features, unfiltered. He released a deep breath, speechless by her beauty to which he had never had the honour of being so close, and his brown doe-eyes were awesome as he drowned in hers, hazel and glittery. He only realised that his grip on her sleeve was tightening when she withdrew herself, her gaze more urgent.  

‘Yeah?’ 

‘I think we should…become better friends,’ the boy grinned. 

‘That-That would be fun, I-I guess…’ 

But her mind was clearly foggy, and she had accepted Hyunjin’s proposal of a meeting to be held two days later without question. The reality of the situation only kicked in when Elena had hurried back to Luna, the former frowning at the strange endeavour, realising with horror what she had agreed to attend. Head in her hands as she’d slumped back into the library’s seat, she’d let out, ‘Oh, my God.’ 

‘What happened? What was he waffling about?’  

‘Ugh…’ The girl’s face was stuffed into her forearms on the tabletop; Luna’s hand ended up on her shoulder. ‘I don’t know, he might have…asked me on a date, or something.’ 

‘Umm…what the hell, Mákaruh King? That’s amazing news!’  

‘I could barely concentrate ‘cause I was so…mesmerised by his beautiful face!’ she whisper-shouted, annoyed at her laughable incompetence. ‘I kept stuttering, and I was so nervous…I really embarrassed myself.’

‘Babe, that doesn’t matter!’ her best friend encouraged, seeming more exuberant about Elena’s good fortune than the receiver herself. ‘So, he likes you back?’

‘He didn’t say…He said we should ‘become better friends’.’ Her fingers, nails painted a pale brown, came up to make the speech-marks. ‘So, I basically just got friendzoned. I hate romance.’ 

‘No-’ 

‘But Hwang Hyunjin, man. He’s so…perfect.’ 

The man in question was mirroring his lover on the other side of the building, his cringing expression buried within his large palms. His best friend, Lee Minho, was leaning back in his seat with his buff arms crossed, a Dance Theory textbook propped up on one knee. He had a surprisingly stern character, but now was actively sympathetic, his gorgeously-arched eyes observing carefully.  

‘Are you…good, Hyun?’ he piped up. 

‘No.’ His disbelieving voice was muffled. 

‘Did she say yes?’ Minho’s eagerness was unrelenting.   

‘She said yes, but it’s probably just platonic.’ Hyunjin rolled his chair back in order to collide his forehead with the surface of the table. ‘Why was I so awkward? I shouldn’t have done that.’

‘Boy, she said yes!’ his companion reminded, grinning, struggling to keep his voice low. ‘Of course she likes you!’ 

‘But I’m so embarrassed now…That didn’t go how I had planned it out.’

‘Ya-’ 

‘But Ji Elena, man. She’s so…perfect.’ 

~ <3 ~ 

Hellevator Homes remained to be the pride of the Red-Light District, even after its original establishment in 1982. No other block of flats erected since had managed to surpass it in beauty, and hadn't captured the hearts of the town's inhabitants so authentically. The exterior was simple - painted a plain off-white, with few-and-far-between silver accents under each flower-lined window, - but, in such a case, a simple design proved effective. There were only five floors, resulting in a total of twenty-five expensive apartments, one of which was owned by a proud Hwang Hyunjin, strutting here and there with the self-actualising knowledge that he'd obtained a solid, leak-free home on the fourth level.  

‘Hwang Hyunjin!’ 

The man in question was figuratively blown away by his authoritative parents, Chairman Hwang's booming tones reverberating around Number Eighteen. They'd arrived at the Red-Light District a day prior from their home city of Seoul and had already made their displeasure widely known - this small town in the west of Korea was a massive downgrade to stay in, even just for a few days.   

'Hwang Hyunjin!' There had been a certain immediacy in Mr. Hwang’s conveyance. 'Get me a drink!'  

Chairman Hwang was clearly a person of great superiority, the long-term director of an international publishing enterprise. The old man had a recognisable face, very hard, with a long, droopy mouth, drawing on a permanent frown. His thick, black glasses were typical to his character, and he spoke with a fitting growl, punishing all that wrongly came between him and his morals. ‘Hmm…’ he surmised, a wrinkled, bony finger tapping his hairy chin. ‘You're still as scrawny as always. Do you ever go out, boy?’ 

The young man being addressed made an expression of jadedness, but, in search of love, tried a second time, ‘Hi, Mum. Shall I take your coat?’

His matured wife removed said item in a brisk, sweeping movement, dumping it in all its furry glory into her son’s awaiting arms. Without a polite greeting, nor an attestation of gratitude, she strode to the leather sofas, folding one primed thigh over the other; her peacock-feather-esque skirt splayed across her lap. Fiddling with her scrupulously curled blonde tresses, she outburst, ‘Hurry up, boy! A Bourbon Whiskey!’   

Aggrieved, Hyunjin set about his task, all the while under the fierce scrutiny of his father. Pulling his lips into a forced smile of somewhat-agreeance, he proffered the beverages he’d impetuously rustled-up. 

‘At last,’ his father went on, at his most expansive, as he stretched his knobbly knees out in Hyunjin’s favourite armchair, ‘do you not appreciate a friendly visit from your dear family anymore?’

‘Of course, I do,’ their son ingratiated, leaning forwards from where he was settled between them both. ‘I’m just surprised.’   

Then, his parents rocketed into a lengthy, characteristic series of stories about the Hwang family’s forebears, and their non-perverse indulges within the tyranny their many ancestors had created – all Hyunjin really got from the monologues was the fact that he was apparently ‘coming-of-age’; why this was so, or what said arrival would entail, he did not yet know. 

That was until Mr. Hwang brought into the discourse the concept of contrived pre-picked marriage, at which point Hyunjin spilled his Dr. Pepper across the carpet.  

‘I don’t understand,’ he dared to propose, eyes hooded as he surveyed his smirking oppressors. ‘You-You said I have a month to find myself a wife before you’d pick one-! I’ve still got a week, I know I can do it-!’    

‘Hmm, that absolutely was the case, before you proved to us you are not able to conduct a simple task independently. That’s why we have to take matters into our own hands - like always when it comes to your incompetence, boy.’ 

‘It’s hard to get into a relationship so quickly!’ Hyunjin panicked. ‘I’m trying!’ 

‘Then, for God’s sake, try harder!’ Mrs. Hwang encroached. ‘We’re trusting you to find an adequate partner by the end of this week. Don’t make us regret this decision.’ 

‘No,’ he blurted back with the apparent speed of a superhuman; the idea of an arranged wedding was becoming less and less appealing the longer this went on for. ‘You’re right, I was incompetent before, but I know what I have to do now.’ 

‘Hmm…’ the old man repeated, stretching out his lean stature with a nauseating, loud crack of his aged bones. 

‘I’m not going to let you down!’ Hyunjin insisted, eyes untamed. 

‘I sincerely hope not.’ 

‘We’ve given you a month, out of the goodness of our own hearts,’ his mother contributed. ‘It’s your own fault you’re failing so abysmally.’ 

‘Mum…’ Hyunjin’s whimper of the name was pitiful. ‘This is really hard for me.’

‘No, it isn’t!’ she retorted carelessly. ‘Your father and I had less than three whole conversations before our wedding day. I didn’t even know his surname.’ 

‘That’s you, not me! I have my own life and I am my own person. I’m not like you.’ 

Old Chairman Hwang craned his dewlapped neck so his purple lips made ticklish contact with his child’s earlobe, ‘You’re really disappointing me, Hwang Hyunjin. I’m embarrassed to be called your father.’         

~ <3 ~

-FIVE YEARS EARLIER- 

This warm afternoon, the local park of the Red-Light District was unusually busy, bustling with city folk: couples, students, and the elderly alike. The sun was still high, beating down at its peak and heating the surface of the infamous lake. A middle-aged woman lounged near the huge body of water, reading a novel; three teenage boys kicked a football between them; a father showed his toddler a plethora of different types of flowers in the bushes; a large group of about twenty people danced under a gazebo in the distance, blasting loud pop music.  

Hyunjin was wringing his hands in nervousness, pondering his great luck, when Elena strode over to him, tying her dark-brown hair into a half-up-half-down ponytail and lounging next to him on the grass with a sigh. The boy’s lips contorted into a relieved smile.  

‘Sorry about the wait,’ she apologised instantly. ‘Do you know Elise?’

‘Yeah, what about her?’

‘She’s having ‘boy troubles’ again with Chris Bang – one of the guys on your tennis team? I was on video call with her as I got ready. Sorry I’m a bit late.’   

‘It’s alright…’ Hyunjin cleared his throat when his lover wasn’t looking, turning back with a swift, ‘These are for you!’

He withdrew his arm from behind his back, presenting a gorgeous bouquet of large, lavender-coloured roses. The thin plastic covering was a bit crinkled, but even that didn’t divert Elena’s attention from the dark-purple hearts all over it – they were original, and pure, just like Hyunjin himself. She gasped, covering her mouth, her eyes bulging open; the boy admittedly fell into a proud mindset, his nose slightly in the air whilst watching her reaction to such extravagance. 

‘Oh, my goodness!’ she cooed, as he gently transferred the handle into her own grasp. ‘I don’t know what to say!’ 

‘Do you like them?’

‘What do you mean?!’ Her circular eyes peered out at him from above the top of the flowers. ‘I love them so much! I didn’t bring you anything…’ 

‘You didn’t have to,’ Hyunjin comforted, wonderfully pleased with Elena’s confirmation of his hopes. ‘I think we’re going to get on really well…I wanted to start this friendship with a bang.’

‘Thank you, Hyunjin! I’m going to take good care of them.’  

The girl then rested on her stomach, looking up at him with an inquisitive gaze. He maintained her eye, losing his sanity in her deep stare, before listening intently as she started a conversation, ‘So, what do you want to talk about?’

‘I-I-...’ he stammered, unsure. ‘Uhh…Well, do you-…? Uhh…’

‘You seem very nervous,’ the other pointed out. ‘Are you alright?’

‘Yeah. It’s just…I want to make a good impression.’

Elena’s eyes widened, her heart skipping a beat. 

‘How about you tell me about your family?’ Hyunjin attempted, examining his can of Pepsi a bit too intently to be considered ‘normal’.  

‘It’s just me, my brother Cameron, and my parents,’ the other explained conversationally. ‘I like our quaint house in our little cul-de-sac. Our neighbours are friendly – they’re all old, but I don’t mind. One of them makes the most amazing cakes.’ She laughed, covering her smile with her hand, yet Hyunjin had grown to obsess over her beauty. ‘You’d like the man across the road: he’s amazing at Christmas games!’ 

Hyunjin puffed in content, speaking without thinking, ‘Wow, I wish I could see that in person one day.’ 

The woman looked right at him in bemusement. ‘Yeah. I wish you could see that one day, too.’

‘You do?’ 

She didn’t respond in words, apparently finding more interest in a tiny, green beetle making its clumsy way towards the pavement lining the park, her chin coming to rest on her palm. The boy took his time to respect her appearance: her sun-brushed curls were framing her rosy cheeks, the complexion of her skin complimenting the light-blue shade of her blouse. There was an air of elegance in her demeanour, making her out to be maturely sophisticated.  

He found his voice, ‘This is quite personal, but…do you have a boyfriend?’ 

‘I haven’t really thought about being in a relationship,’ Elena clarified, shrugging timorously. ‘My last one was pretty shit, anyway.’  

‘Ahh…I’m sorry about that, Len.’ 

Elena’s breath caught in her throat. ‘No one’s ever called me Len before…’

‘Sorry. Don’t you like it?’ 

‘I love it!’ she laughed, leaving as a passing enquiry, ‘But don’t you think it’s too early to be so close? This is our first proper conversation, you know…’  

‘Who cares?’ said the boy, gulping down mouthfuls of his drink. ‘Let’s not waste time.’  

The event went on with sweet, casual conversation, paired with the thrill of young, ever-blossoming romance - not that the young duo were aware of the obvious reciprocation of their little ‘crushes’.  

Hyunjin enjoyed their closeness, and felt as though he could completely open-up to her; he almost dreaded nightfall, when they would be forced to depart properly. He could virtually envision their future enfolding, each passing day one filled with hope and love - as long as they were together.  

And Elena noticed that she was properly satisfied for the first time in a while. 

~ <3 ~ 

‘Ugh.’ 

Twenty-three-year-old Elena, now sleepy-eyed in her dim bedroom, tossed another unsatisfactory story draft into the waste-bin, leaning her head back. She’d undergone a stressful all-nighter - now it was five a.m. - and had already used up most of her ballpoint pens. Strangely, her body-clock was not yet accustomed to so many working hours, even though she’d been slaving away well into the night since the start of high-school.

She had met the strong-willed Seo Changbin shortly after graduating Hellevator High. They both shared a passion for literature and were part of a ‘creative writing club’ on Monday nights in Hellevator Hostel in which they were free to explore their academic talents together, improving their close friendship by the week. 

Changbin was only a year older than her, and had fiery, defined features, his black hair sweeping over his left eye in a tender, fragrant wave. Now, he was lying atop Elena’s black bed sheets, legs crossed, his forearms behind his head as a makeshift pillow. He was scanning over the woman at her desk - on whom he was crushing enormously - out the corner of his eye, nibbling his bottom lip to seem natural as she turned to invite his opinion on a notion she’d been overthinking.

‘If you were to put dialogue in the middle of a sentence, where would you put the commas, before or after the speech marks? Or would you not put any?’ 

‘Uhh…’ Sitting up seamlessly, he chuckled lowly. ‘What a question, Elena.’

‘So, what do you think?’ 

‘I mean…Look, I know you’re concentrating, but…can we finally continue the conversation we started the other day?’ 

Elena’s busying hands froze, her expression out of Changbin’s eyeline. ‘Uhh…sure. What were you saying again?’ 

‘Just…our position,’ he dared, on tenterhooks. ‘What are you thinking about us right now?’ 

‘I can definitely feel…something, I guess,’ the female responded, continuing through her papers, albeit more strenuously, ‘but I just feel like it’s one-sided.’ 

‘Nah.’ The man shuffled along the carpet, snaking his sweaty palm into her own sensually. His romantic attraction was obvious through such a touching gesture. ‘There’s tension between us.’ 

‘Hey, I don’t know if I’d call it ‘tension’...’ 

‘Well, at least there’s something blossoming.’ Her friend grinned toothily, observing her with heart-eyes, ‘and we need to do something about it.’  

‘How do you feel about me, Changbin?’ The woman’s voice was barely above a whisper. 

‘You already know the answer to that. What about…you? You said it’s one-sided-’ His upbeat tones decreased in excitement.  

‘I don’t want to interrupt, but we should stop this before it gets awkward,’ she interjected, pushing him away delicately. ‘We’re really good friends and I don’t want…this to ruin that.’ 

‘It won’t,’ the other opinionated, shaking his head in support of the statement. He was on his knees beside her now, his pupils flicking between both of her own. ‘Not when we’re already so close.’ 

‘That’s the thing. I think we’re too close.’ She smiled prettily.

‘Too close to have a relationship?’ 

‘Yes.’  

The man made it no secret that he was deflated. ‘That really sucks.’ 

‘I don’t want to upset you, yeah?’ Elena reassured him, kind as always. ‘I want to let you down slowly so it doesn’t hurt as much.’ 

‘You don’t like me back, do you?’ Changbin asked, slumped over. 

His friend sighed, rubbing his back in solace, her work going unnoticed. ‘Truth be known…I’m still not fully over Hwang Hyunjin.’  

‘Oh, my God, Elena. Come off it.’ He face-palmed. ‘That was five whole years ago.’ 

‘You think I don’t know that?’

‘You need to get over him!’ the male encouraged. ‘He was a dick to you! Don’t let him get you down anymore, girl! You’re better than that.’ 

Elena said nothing, picking at her tights.

‘Hmm?’ He tilted her sad face up with two fingers under her chin. ‘What have your girl friends said about it?’

‘They hate him as much as I do.’ She almost laughed at the stupidity. ‘We have group therapy. They think I should go out and find another man - someone who will treat me right.’   

‘Yeah. Well, you should really take that advice. You can’t spend your whole life sulking over Hwang.’ 

‘It’s so hard, though…’ the woman informed, the atmosphere depressing. ‘He keeps coming back to me in dreams…and even the short stories I write are partly about him. I put my experiences and emotional trauma into my writing; I can’t help it. Everything reminds me of him.’

‘You will meet someone even better than him, you know.’ Changbin’s countenance was tepid. ‘If you go out-’ 

‘I’m perfectly comfortable here on my own, thanks.’ Folding her arms across her chest, she held her nose up obnoxiously like a toddler refusing vegetables. ‘I’ll just wait till someone comes along.’ 

‘Well, I can be that person!’ he exclaimed brightly, the words coming across more arduously than intended. ‘Let me try.’ 

‘No, Changbin,’ she affirmed, her buttons pushed. ‘I like us how we are, okay? No feelings attached.’ 

‘Oh, it’s a bit late to say that. My feelings got out of hand a while ago.’ 

'Do you think we should have some space from each other, then? - just for a little while.' 

'But I need to help you get over Hwang.' 

'Honestly, I'm okay,' Elena concluded, re-picking up her pen, an idea having just struck her with the force of a raging bull. 'I'm in control of my own life.' 

‘Yeah, but you're not, though, are you?' her friend interrogated, ignoring her frantic scribbling in her chunky notebook. 'You need our help, otherwise you'll drive yourself crazy. You'll eventually blow up into smithereens.'

'I won't.' The woman was irritated now, her eyes narrowed. 'I can look after myself, Changbin. Don’t you believe that?’

‘I do, but…I still want to protect you.’ 

‘Don’t waste your time,’ Elena breathed. ‘Look, let's just forget about this. Tomorrow I'm going for this job interview, so I need to stay focused.'

'Yeah…Sorry for distracting you. I know how much this job means to you.'  

'It means so much, like, literally,' the other confirmed, pulling her lips into a horizontal line. 'I haven't been accepted anywhere yet…and I'm really running low on options. This, kind of, is my last chance before I, I don’t know, give up on writing forever.'  

‘You're going to be fine!’ Changbin persuaded in camaraderie, tapping her arm. ‘What are you so worried about? I’m sure the interviewer will appreciate you, and your talent. Hmm?’ 

~ <3 ~

‘You?!’ 

‘Yep, it’s me. It’s a small world, huh?’ 

Twenty-four-year-old Hwang Hyunjin was grinning sardonically, his fingers clasped around his Iced Americano as though he did not have a care in the world. The lights of the café flattered his golden features perfectly, highlighting him to be an angel, standing out from the rest of the crowd, all of them paling in comparison. 

Elena almost toppled over, grabbing one of the chairs to support the weight of her whole body, its wooden legs scraping backwards along the tiled flooring. Her totebag toppled out of her grasp. 'How dare you have so much audacity?! How dare you act as though we're on good terms?!'   

‘...We’re not?’ 

'Are you serious?’ 

'How nice to see you after five years.' Something in the man's tone was genuine; his eyes were adoring. 'You look…different.' 

Collecting her belongings from underfoot, the woman spat in repulsion, 'This has to be a joke. Since when did you become a publisher?' 

'Since five years ago.' 

'Stop!' she suddenly yelled, catching the attention of a couple with a baby eating pancakes at a nearby table. 'Stop talking about five years ago. Stop reminding me of then.'

'Don't you want to be reminded of our relationship?' Hyunjin tried, leaning forward on his forearms. 

'No! I do not!'  

'Sit down,' the man smiled. 'Order a drink. Show me what you've brought.' 

Elena froze, hyperaware that she was stuck in a sticky situation. 'Wow. Where did your manners go?' 

'Away. My job is tough, Len.' 

She collapsed into the seat opposite him, pointing one index into his face threateningly. 'Don't you dare call me that nickname. We're not close anymore, and you're definitely not my boyfriend anymore.'  

'Alright, sorry!' Hyunjin's two palms raised either side of his head in a surrender, rolling his eyes. 'Just trying to decrease the tension!'

'Well, flattery will get you nowhere, Hwang.' Elena threw a thin booklet towards him, reclining with her arms crossed sternly, eyes focused. 'There. Read it. And you'd better like it. I refuse to accept criticism from you.'    

'You're really hostile towards me,' the man pointed out obviously. 'Why?'

'I wonder,' she scoffed. 'Just read my work, Hwang, and either accept me, or don't.'    

Hyunjin snatched her wrist like a flytrap. ‘You can’t just do this to me.’ 

‘Let go of me!’ 

‘Not until you treat me how I deserve. Why are you being like this?’ the man inquired, the brightness in his eyes dimming in sadness. ‘I thought we had a connection.’ 

‘That was years ago, Hwang.’  

‘You can’t still hold a grudge against me?’     

‘It’s not just a grudge,’ she corrected sternly. ‘I told you I never wanted to see you again.’ 

‘But, as you said, that was years ago.’ Hyunjin continued to fight his side. ‘That doesn’t matter anymore.’  

‘What do you mean ‘it doesn’t matter’?!’ Elena kicked off again, fuelled by her childhood hatred. ‘I did so much for you! I loved you, Hwang! And now you’re reminding me of the time that killed me. So, thanks for nothing.’ 

They maintained momentary eye-contact, full of ambiguity, before the male reluctantly removed his hand from her, a faint ring of red tainting her skin. He was close to tears as he muttered, ‘Do you really…hate me?’  

‘Can you really blame me, Hwang?’ Elena was hysterical. ‘I mean, after everything you did to me!’ 

‘You have a habit of not explaining yourself,’ the man told her, genuinely searching for a response. ‘You never told me what I did to you! What did I ever do?!’     

Elena scanned her ex-boyfriend’s face begrudgingly, desperate for even the tiniest hint of regret.

Yet there was none.

In its place was…yearning?

‘Do you really not understand, Hwang?’ she challenged, her inner emotions unfathomably ambivalent. ‘Maybe you’d only properly understand if you get cheated on yourself.’

The preceding pregnant pause was deafeningly loud.

‘‘Cheated on’?’ Hyunjin echoed, the words poison on his tongue. ‘You have no idea how wrong you are.’ 

‘Do you want me to spell it out for you, then?’ Elena hissed, her pupils painfully anguished, flicking between his own. ‘You were seeing someone else behind my back – I know you were! That is why I left you.’ 

‘You left me without even saying goodbye,’ the other noted, his voice quivering with the agony of remembrance. ‘You left me without even giving me a reason.’

‘You’ve still not apologised!’ the woman laughed in disbelief, gesturing vaguely with one hand. ‘You’ve still not, at least, shown that you appreciate why I hate you! I’ve got plenty of reasons, you know!’

‘Please don’t shout at me,’ Hyunjin purred, disregarding his companion’s disgusted stare opposite him. ‘My heart is already broken enough.'  

‘Do you expect me to care?’ Elena sighed. ‘You never did when you broke my heart.’  

‘I NEVER MEANT TO!’ he exploded, his countenance bestial. Pausing, another heavy silence fell between them. ‘Len, this isn’t fair.’  

‘Our relationship wasn’t fair.’ She was shaking, whether out of anger or fear she was not sure. ‘Life isn’t fair.’ 

‘You’re treating me like I’m nothing! I thought I was a good boyfriend. I thought I did everything right. For God’s sake, why didn’t you tell me I was doing it all wrong? Why?’  

‘Relationships are not always perfect, Hwang.’ 

‘Stop calling me my surname.’ 

Elena carried on nevertheless, enveloped in a bluster of emotion, ‘I wanted a healthy relationship, and a healthy relationship is not what I got.’ 

‘I really can’t believe how selfish you’re being.’  

The other clapped a hand to her mouth, letting out a high-pitched laugh of incredulity. ‘Me? The selfish one?’ She stood haphazardly, taking a moment to compose herself, her breathing weighted. ‘Please, just get away from me! I don’t want to look at you anymore, or I’ll seriously go insane-’  

His pupils dilated with despairing longing, his fingers curling around her wrist again. ‘I’m not done.’  

She growled, ‘I was done with you years ago.’  

‘Len, please!’ Hyunjin’s blunt nails dug in tighter. ‘You’ve said your piece. Now let me say mine.’ 

‘I don’t want to hear it, but go on.’

‘I never cheated on you,’ he clarified, nodding surely. 

‘No-’

‘Listen! You were the first person I’d ever fallen in love with, okay? As I said, I never meant to break your heart. I would never want to hurt you on purpose. I never cheated on you, Len, I swear.’ 

‘Aren’t you going to explain to me why your behaviour changed partway through our relationship?’ Elena argued. ‘You randomly started avoiding me, and you started hanging around more girls than you did bef-’ She stopped mid-sentence, her demeanour completely softening as she reached out to stroke his cheek. ‘What happened?’ 

‘Maybe if you hadn’t left me, you would know.’       

She could barely even bring herself to release the sombre, ‘Hyun…’

His breath caught in his throat. 

He could barely even bring himself to release the sombre, ‘Len…’ 

Her breath caught in her throat.

‘I just want to know what happened,’ she said. ‘I loved you so much too, and our breakup ruined me.’   

‘You keep forgetting that you left me first,' he continued bitterly. 'At least you were in control. I just had to sit by and watch you go!’ 

‘After we broke up, you seemed unaffected,’ the female tested, arching an eyebrow. ‘You carried on with life like nothing had happened. I hated you even more for that.’ 

‘What did you expect me to do?!’ Hyunjin cried, his arms gesticulating. ‘You know how strict my parents are, Elena! I’m not allowed to show even the tiniest bit of emotion, or they’ll scold me and say I’m ‘weak’; ‘not a man’. You have no idea how much I struggled whenever I was alone; my confidence was absolutely knocked. Fine, you were hurt, but stop acting as though it was just you! I’m human, too!’     

‘Stop,’ she blurted, unable to stop her thoughts from manifesting themselves. ‘You’re overreacting.’ 

‘You’re blaming everything on me again! You always make me the villain!’ 

‘That’s because most of the time everything is your fault!’ Elena reverberated. ‘Now, just cut the bullshit and tell me everything. I want to listen to the whole story.’

Hyunjin’s head hung and he wrung his fingers, outwardly overcome by traumatic memory. ‘My life is constantly a struggle, Len, you have to understand.’

‘Go on.’ 

‘A girl had liked me for a long time,’ he began, immersing them both into the scenario. ‘It got worse when the relationship between us two was made public. She did things to me...’      

‘What things, Hyunjin?’ 

‘Things that nobody should know. All that matters is that I was threatened - badly. You need to understand, I couldn’t do anything about it, Elena. I was constantly stalked by her ‘cause she had this…obsession, so I avoided leaving my flat as much as I could. And, even then, she’d be waiting outside for literally hours just to see me. She controlled my entire life - that’s why I could never go out to meet you. I was stuck in this…cycle that I couldn’t get out of. It felt like prison.’     

Dawn comprehended across Elena’s face at this awful revelation, speechless.  

He was her entire life that she’d taken for granted.

‘So, do you still hate me?’ Hyunjin arched an eyebrow. 

‘I’m so sorry.’ Her apology was meaningful, regret lacing her sympathetic features. ‘Oh, my God! You should have told me, Hyunjin! Why didn’t you?’ 

‘You would have been in so much danger if I’d got you involved, Len. I didn’t want to get you in trouble.’ 

‘I can look after myself,’ Elena reminded. ‘I’m strong! I could have helped you.’ 

‘If you were hurt in that situation, I never would have forgiven myself,’ Hyunjin protested. ‘It happened; it’s in the past. There’s nothing we can do to change it. You have to accept that.’

‘I can’t accept it!’ the other protested. ‘Whoever she is needs to get her comeuppance! That’s not okay.’  

The man folded his arms, all his weight resting on his forearms on the tabletop. His eyes narrowed in suspicion, he proposed mildly, ‘I think it’s about time you apologised to me.’ 

‘But, Hyunjin, you have to understand how it looked from my point of view. What I saw was you doing a total one-eighty when we were dating, plus, you were giving other girls all your attention, and spending more time with them than you did with me.’  

‘Well, now you know what really happened, don’t you?’  

Then, neither of them were able to release comprehensible sentences. Elena’s preceding retort melted in her mouth like a sweet; instead an enormous exhale deflated her whole chest, her arms coming to swing by her sides as she merely uttered, ‘I feel like you’re trying to tell me something. Just do it.’ 

‘Listen…I’m giving you the job,’ the man sighed. ‘I don’t care if I’ve not read your application. You’ve always been a talented writer, so I know you’ll be a perfect assistant.’ 

Elena’s eyes narrowed, re-collapsing into her cushioned chair. ‘I can tell that’s not all you want.’  

For a moment, Hyunjin was still, his Iced Americano going unnoticed. Something deep within his chest was inflating, a sensation he only remembered feeling once before - the moment he had officially asked Elena to be his girlfriend five years prior. The latter scanned his frozen features, nodding in encouragement.   

‘Let me just put it bluntly…I need a girlfriend. Now. Like, I need to be in a relationship by the end of this week.’ 

‘Hyunjin, today’s Thursday,’ Elena highlighted, sceptical. ‘Why so sudden?’

‘Well, not necessarily…’ He shuffled in discomfort. ‘I’ve had a month to find someone. Obviously, I just haven’t yet.’ 

‘Woah, woah, slow down,’ the female encouraged, straightening her back in order to listen more intently. ‘Tell me the whole situation. Right now you’re talking in code.’ 

‘My parents,’ Hyunjin sighed, looking around in embarrassment. ‘They’ve…given me a month to get a girlfriend, and if I don’t, they’ll find one for me themselves - and I know they already have someone on stand-by. They’re only going to retire once I get married, and once I get their company’s assets under my own control.’

‘So, you were basically forced to work in their publishing company?’ 

‘I…guess you could say that. But I’ve always liked literature, anyway.’

‘That explains a lot,’ she claimed, before severely side-eyeing him in disaffection. ‘And I know what you’re trying to do here.’       

‘I don’t know what to do to convince you,’ the male capitulated solemnly, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. ‘My life is going to be ruined if I don’t find myself a girlfriend before my parents intervene. You’ve come back into my life at a perfect time. I- I need you. I don’t know how to convince you to do this, Len - especially after such short notice. I’m sorry.’   

The woman’s hand clapped to her forehead, her shoulders hunched over in exhaustion - her mentality’s boundaries had been surpassed beyond imagination this one morning. ‘I hate to say it but…you’ve already convinced me. I was convinced as soon as you suggested it.’ 

‘What do you mean?’ 

‘My heart wants more than it should, Hyunjin,’ she groaned, raking her hair into a ponytail as though it would help reduce her increasing levels of stress. ‘It gets me into trouble all the time.’  

‘That’s-’ 

‘But I’m just scared you’ll only be using me,’ she carried on, briskly adding, ‘I’d hate to replay everything…from before. I don’t trust this.’  

‘No, it’s not-’

‘We don’t love each other, do we?’ she asked rhetorically. ‘Unless you’ve been…planning this.’ She paused, her conveyance turbulent. ‘Hyunjin, have you been waiting for me for five years?’ 

A wave of darkness washed over the man’s face, a muscle tensing in his jaw. ‘Yes. I have.’

‘Maybe it’s destiny that we’ve found each other again.’

‘Or maybe we’ve always been made for each other.’

Their eye-contact resurfaced thousands of evanesced memories, vibrant in all their waning colour.       

‘I don’t want to continue this conversation,’ Elena suddenly said, hoisting her totebag further up her shoulder, and averting her eyes to the ground. ‘I think we need to forget about each other. And I need to forget about this job.’ 

‘No, no, no!’ He spun her back, tripping over a table leg in his haste. ‘We can’t! I know you need this job. And you know I need this relationship.’  

‘I can’t…’ Elena shook her head towards the ground, her cracking voice no more than a tentative whisper. ‘When I told you I loved you years ago, I meant it.’

‘So did I, Len!’ the male begged. ‘So did I!’ 

‘What were you expecting, then? There’s no way we can get back together. I can’t risk this all over again.’ 

‘You know what, Elena?’ the male detonated, forcing the stapled booklet into her grasp aggressively. ‘Fucking life is about risks! Half the shit you do in your life involves taking risks! So, just take a chance! You’ll never know unless you try.’ 

‘But, the thing is, Hwang Hyunjin, I do know,’ Elena barked, annoyed afresh. ‘I’ve been with you before, so I do know! And I know that this risk is not worth it.' 

‘Please, give me a chance! You don’t understand how much I need this!’  

‘Oh, I think I do.’ Elena’s hatred was evident in her seething glare as she ran off, the subtle ding-ding of the bell above the café indicating her harsh departure.  

‘Ya, you can’t leave me now!’ Hyunjin called after her. ‘I’ve only just found you!’ 

And, as the woman sprinted around the corner of the street, unmistakable echoes of hope disintegrating in the warm June air, the male remained marinating in his familiar depression. He realised with a painful throbbing to the skull that, for the second time, the two blatant lovers had parted without a simple, ‘Goodbye’. 

~ <3 ~

‘Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear Elena, happy birthd-’  

Luna, Elise, and Bethany stopped dead in their tracks upon being met with their best friend’s unexpected misery - and on her birthday, of all days. Elena, traumatised by her recent clandestine encounter with Hyunjin, glanced up from behind her hands as her acquaintances warily made themselves known. Her cheeks were streaked with tears, her red-rimmed eyes still sorrowful after hours of weeping solely, her bedroom pitch-black, reflecting her incredible gloom. 

Bethany was the first to voice their thoughts as the group dropped their balloons and gifts, darting to her side, ‘What’s the matter? What happened?’ 

Elena - a woman who would usually have withheld her true emotions from manifesting themselves - sobbed with her whole chest, pining, ‘How did I never see this coming? I should have known he’d come back into my life at some point! Why does everything always have to fuck me over?!’ She buried her face under her duvet, relishing in Luna’s comforting hand on her shoulder.   

‘Who?’ The latter’s mouth was an ‘O’, eyes wild with anticipation. 

‘My ex-boyfriend! Hyunjin, Hwang, Bitch, Dickhead, whatever you want to call him! He’s back!’ 

‘‘Back’?’ Elise contributed, overcome with shocked abhorrence. 'How?' 

'He works at the exact same publishing company I want to apply at! There's no way I'm going to work there now - no way.' 

‘He works as a publisher?!’ Elise carried on, expression bemused. 

‘I know, right,’ Bethany said. ‘I didn’t expect that. I swear, he only did sports in high-school.’ 

‘Aren’t his parents quite…controlling?’ Luna questioned, to which Elena nodded. ‘Maybe his career was basically chosen for him.’ 

‘Mmm,’ Bethany agreed. ‘What are you going to do now?’ 

‘Find something else,’ Elena claimed, her words muffled into the blanket she was beneath. ‘I can’t work there if he’s going to be my boss. I’m giving up on my dream of writing. My life is ruined.’   

‘Girl, you’ve been looking at editing jobs for months and you’ve finally found a good one!’ Elise protested. ‘You can’t give up now!’ 

‘You can’t let him win!’ Luna added desperately. ‘You have to show him you’re strong! - 'cause you are strong.’  

‘I mean I was strong before he ruined everything…’ 

The grills metaphorically slapped her back into reality, all doting on her with kind reassurances. Elena luckily managed to let out a chortle after wallowing in affliction for so long, eternally grateful for her friends who never failed to make sure that she was feeling alright - good friendships thrive on one-hundred percent effort on all sides. 

‘So, you should basically go back and show him who’s boss,’ Elise finalised, relaxing. 

‘But…' Elena paused, weighing her options on imaginary scales. 'He explained to me what happened five years ago. And it makes me feel…bad! This whole time, I've believed in lies! I've made him out to be the villain when…it was really me all along!' Her body shook with heavy sobs. 

The grills gasped in unison, three hands clapping to three gaping mouths. 

‘He was threatened badly…and he didn’t want to put me in danger by telling me back then…I can’t believe I left him without asking. I hate to think about it.’ 

‘How do you know he’s telling the truth?’ Luna opinionated, countenance sceptic. ‘He might have just been making excuses.’ 

‘But it was something about the way he said it,’ Elena clarified. ‘Something in his eyes told me he was serious. And, anyway, I know him really well.’

‘You don’t,’ Elise disagreed, folding one leg over the other, her fingers intertwined. ‘He’s been fake all his life.’ 

‘See, I don’t think so,’ said the youngest, shaking her head from side to side. ‘His family gives him a hard time as it is. I really do think he’s being genuine.’

‘Whatever, girl,’ Elise shrugged, getting up to grab the bags of presents in celebration of the sulking woman’s twenty-fourth birthday. ‘Open your gifts, you shouldn’t be crying on your birthday!’ 

‘Honestly, don’t worry about Hwang,’ Bethany advised, squeezing her friend’s hand supportively. ‘This job is going to be really good. Don’t let him take that opportunity from you.’   

‘Yeah,’ Luna asserted, thrusting a soft gift wrapped in dark-pink paper into the centre of the circle the grills had formed in the room. ‘You've survived without a man for a long time, and you can carry on that way.’   

Elena ran one hand over her face, releasing inquisitively, ‘I feel like there’s something really similar between me and Hyunjin…I just can’t put my finger on what it is.’

Something was missing. 

Elena wanted to be his girlfriend again (even if it were fake) with every cell in her body, in spite of being able to actively point out the face-punchingly obvious defects. Her extreme passion for Hwang Hyunjin in light of five years having passed was shameful to her. 

Yet, that tiny glimmer of hope remained towards the back of her conscience, an ever-present candle that refused to burn down: he’s been waiting for me. 

He still loves me.       

~ <3 ~

-FIVE YEARS EARLIER- 

The seating area lining Hellevator High’s resident stadium provided shade due to the curved shelters – yet the humidity still coated the fidgety audience with sweat. Down below, flapping their shirts in their team-colours to cool down, the students preparing for the final tennis match of the season faced each other – Lee Felix versus Hyunjin. The latter beamed happily up to Elena - by now his good friend to whom he still had not admitted his feelings - from the side-lines, stretching in preparation, looking as fine as wine in his red and black Nike tracksuit.  

She waved positively in return, the midsummer sun dusting the nape of her bare neck. This afternoon, she was attiring a cotton dress, brushing her with an ample breeze against the impenetrable June heat whenever she moved. She’d never been able to cope with degrees higher than twenty, so was fanning herself with her phone – which was not very effective, granted.

Sitting to her right was Elise, benevolently cheering for both sides of the game; she was a person with inadequate sporting knowledge, but had tagged along for a good time, anyway. Closer to the pitch was a tiny, secluded area – Royal Box-esque – in which Bethany was seated, being Head Girl, with the Head Boy, Kim Seungmin – Hellevator High’s staff was extremely fond of its student leaders.   

The young, energetic Coach, Mr. Wainman, advanced towards Felix and Hyunjin, who were quaking while holding their rackets, and began to bless them with words of encouragement, and memoirs of all their previous wins which had secured their sure places in today’s final.

‘Where’s Luna at?’ Elise’s curious inquiry snapped Elena back to reality.

‘Probably getting a coffee from Jack’s,’ the latter answered, referring to the popular in-school canteen from which the sixth-formers could purchase hot drinks, fresh toasties, and pastries for breakfast.    

‘Wait, look.’

The girl in question was tiptoeing across the grass of the pitch, a packet containing a Belgian waffle in one hand, and tea in a colourful, striped paper cup in the other. She shouted something to Mr. Wainman – it was inaudible to her observing friends – as she darted briskly over in her t-shirt, perhaps apologising for the brief disturbance. Luna approached her long-term boyfriend Felix – they had won ‘Best Couple’ in the yearbook, – thrusting the products into his grasp, before wishing him good luck for the match and running away again.

Elise instantly teased her as she flumped into her seat in the stands with a sigh, ‘Look at you, Mrs. ‘I only buy food for myself’.’   

‘You gotta do what you gotta do,’ she chuckled back. ‘He hasn’t eaten all day.’

The firework-like sparks erupting near the back of the stadium signalled the start of the ultimate tournament of the school year. Whoop-whooping and applause imploded around the crowd, many rising to their feet – one of them was Elena, jumping up and down with a huge grin plastered across her face; another was Luna, screaming ‘GO, LIXIE!’ until her voice was hoarse.  

Throughout the match, the pair of them sat by casually, chomping on the gluten-free biscuits Elena had brought along, laughing pleasantly at the joy the day was bringing. They cheered animatedly, yet casted the competitiveness of the other spectators from their minds, and enjoyed the light-hearted spirits of Hellevator High’s inhabitants.

At the end of the first set came a five-minute break in which the two sweating players collapsed into white, plastic seats in the hall, downing entire bottles of ice-cold water, supplied by the Year Eight ‘refreshment girls’. The second half flew by in a blur, Elena’s anxiety increasing as Felix’s capabilities proved to be superior to her struggling friend’s - for whom her romantic feelings were growing by the week, lest you forget.   

As well as being an avid humanities nerd, Hyunjin had natural stamina, and his agility had first caught his idol Mr. Wainman by pleasant surprise his very first PE lesson with him, a new teacher, a year ago. In saying this, Hyunjin was one of the last pupils to join the squad. His mates admired him, and their performance on the field had drastically improved in a multitude of ways since his admission.                            

Seeing Hyunjin in his element made Elena happy. 

Felix eventually won the game, the score being forty/thirty-six. He raised the trophy, relishing in the caring celebration of the audience, and, when Hyunjin appeared crest-fallen, he tackled him in an embrace of camaraderie – the close brotherhood between the boys in the tennis club had been strong since the primary try-outs. Elena’s trio in the stands hollered with pride, before many members of the crowd began to skip down the stone stairs, surrounding the two champions in a giggling gaggle, everyone whistling in comradeship.        

It was amazing how public events could unite society.

Felix, a baby-faced, blonde boy whose demeanour rivalled the rays of sunshine, gallivanted over, clapping Hyunjin’s back, whisking him into the main hall. ‘Good game, Hyung!’ 

‘Thanks, Felix.’ The latter’s eyes were genuine.

‘You almost gave me a run for my money out there. But I’m sure you can win one day. Keep going, Hyung!’ 

Catching up to Elena, Hyunjin proposed, ‘So, how was I?’ 

‘Great!’ she assured, squeezing his shoulder; he seemed dispirited. ‘Well done!’  

‘Thanks…’ he replied, hardly opening his mouth. ‘I’m glad you enjoyed the match.’

‘I did. And it doesn’t matter that you didn’t win!’ 

‘That’s nice of you to say.’ The man pulled his lips into a straight line.

‘What’s the matter, Hyun?’

‘I’m just a bit disappointed,’ he informed lowly, tossing his racket out of his hand as though he couldn’t bear to hold it any longer. ‘All that training I’ve done for this, and it was all for nothing.’

‘It wasn’t for nothing!’ the other disagreed profusely. ‘Did you listen to that crowd cheering for you? You’ve made this entire school happy! That’s all that matters.’

‘Are you proud of me, though?’

‘Remember, you don’t have to do anything for me to be proud of you.’

‘Yeah…’ He cleared his throat with an unflattering squeak. ‘Hey…Len, whatever happens, you’ll never leave me, will you?’ 

‘‘Leave you’?’ Elena recurrented, her eyebrows furrowed. ‘What do you mean?’ 

‘You know…you’ll never…uhh…’ He shrugged, at that moment regretting opening his mouth. But nevertheless, he tumbled down an inescapable rabbit-hole, his conveyance turbulent. ‘Whatever I…say, you won’t hate me and ruin our friendship, will you?’  

She side-eyed him bombastically, shying away slightly. ‘Of course not, Hyun. You mean too much to me to go now.’ 

‘Wow…’ Hyunjin’s chest was heaving with laboured breaths. ‘Ah, I’ll just say it. I can’t hold it in anymore. I…like you a lot.’ 

Elena was frozen in place. 'You-...You what?' 

'I like you…I think, more than my own good.' 

Her expression of pure shock morphed into one of pure relief, a blush dusting her cheeks like dainty starlight. 'Hyunjin…'

'It's so important for me to impress you and just get your attention. I keep ignoring my feelings 'cause I know you don't feel the same - I don't expect you to! - but now I-' 

'Stop,' the girl interjected slowly. 'You don't understand how much that means to me. I've liked you for ages.'  

‘Quit playing. Are you…serious?’  

She grinned, one hand making its way to his shoulder blades, pulling him in for a gentle kiss - a gentle kiss that spoke one-thousand unuttered words. 'I'm dead serious.'  

~ <3 ~ 

‘Fancy seeing you here.’ 

Hyunjin jumped, hurtling forward off the swing he was rocking gently back and forth on, his face laced with horror at being approached so suddenly. ‘How did you know I would be here?’ 

‘Have you forgotten that this was our favourite place?’ Elena stepped lightly towards him, her boots leaving wedges in the long, untamed grass. One hand rising to grip one of the frames of the swing-set, she commented, brain foggy with faraway memory, ‘We used to come here every Saturday night. Don’t you remember?’ 

The Red-Light District homed a fair selection of play parks due to its remote, countryside location, away from the unhealthy pollution of any busy city. The largest of them had been deserted since the late nineties, blocked off due to suspicious persons; the children of the area had emigrated to the next-best one, which just so happened to leave the tiniest park empty, especially for the teenage Elena and Hyunjin, ideal in its situation near to the former’s parents’ house. To the young couple, their private hideaway was a perfect area in which to spend evenings under honey-tinted skies, philosophically reminiscing upon their newborn relationship, a concept of which was never not foreign to Elena as she would constantly capitulate to a passionate kiss from her boyfriend, his angelic features irradiating with the rippling rays of the humble moon.

Now felt no different, as though their years apart were superfluous. 

Time meant nothing to reunited soulmates. 

Tonight, the June sky was clear, the sun partially illuminating the earth, straining to release its final beams, marking the coming of the indecent night. Billions of stars littered the expanse of pearly-grey above, white splatters of paint on a navy canvas. The swing Hyunjin had resumed swaying on - feet on the floor, elbows locked around the chains - warped the shadows the surrounding evergreen trees were providing, demons watching the pair’s endeavours through the darkness. 

‘Of course, I remember.’ The man’s voice was hushed. ‘I didn’t think you’d still remember our nights here.’ 

‘I’ve never forgotten.’ Elena tossed her head back as she began to swing in the spare seat beside him, grinning as the wind whipped her hair back off her forehead, delicious butterflies erupting within her tummy as she flew higher and higher in the air. 

Hyunjin admired her sideways, putting his preceding inquiry bluntly, ‘Why are you still talking to me? I thought, with the way you stormed off so angrily, your hatred had been, you know…resurfaced.’ 

‘No,’ was all she responded, the word a blessing. ‘I just had to take some time to think.’ 

Instead of calming, the male fulminated, the chains of his swing rattling with his uncontrollable hostility, ‘Think about what? Yourself? Me? Us?’ 

‘Everything. The past is all coming back to haunt me.’ 

‘Len?’ 

‘Hmm?’ 

‘Talk to me.’ Hyunjin was on his knees next to her, his eyes staring up at her pleadingly; the summer breeze rustled his blonde fringe. ‘Please, tell me what you’re thinking about. We were close once; I know you, and I know when something’s wrong. I can help you - we can help each other. I know how you feel.’ 

‘No,’ Elena repeated, her conveyance rough - this time, the basic sound was a curse, not a blessing. ‘No, you don’t.’

‘What?’ 

‘You don’t know how I feel - not at all.’ The woman was wringing her fingers in her lap, now rooted to the ground. 

Hyunjin’s hand came up to rest on her kneecap. ‘Yes, I do,’ he responded lightly. ‘Remember, I was separated from you, too. I understand your pain so much.’

‘NO, YOU DON’T!’ She suddenly lost her saint-like patience, standing, unashamed to make direct eye-contact with her ex-lover as he lost his balance, spread-eagled on the gravel. ‘You…don’t. The love of my life who I left because I thought he was cheating on me suddenly turns up after five years and tries to force me into a fake relationship just to satisfy his parents. It sounds like fiction; it sounds like a story. But that’s my life - and you have no idea how my life feels.’    

‘Why did you come down here?’ the man questioned, watching her every move like an animal, ‘especially if you knew you would run into me.’ 

‘I needed to get out,’ Elena began to explain, her fists consciously clenching by her hips. ‘Staying in my house was…claustrophobic. It felt as though the walls were caving in on me the longer I stayed inside. I was trapped in my own head with just…the memory of our relationship, what happened at the café…and just the image of your face.’ She turned her back to him. ‘You’ve never left me, Hyunjin. Part of me wished that coming here would clear my head, and make all the thoughts disappear. But, of course, it didn’t.’ 

‘Ahh…’ He chuckled. ‘Now, this is the Len I remember. Where did she go?’ 

‘She grew up.’ 

For a moment, they were both silent, only the leaves of the bushes around them voicing their muzzled opinions. The female took a deep inhale, filling her lungs with refreshing, pollen-scented oxygen - such an action seemed to rejuvenate her entire being, since she continued without waiting for an answer from Hyunjin, waddling forwards, her cheeks pink with the night wind. 

‘She grew up and realised that it’s a harsh world we live in. This world treats you like shit, even when you try your best. I never wanted any of this.’  

Her voice broke, her eyes welling over with teardrops ready to fall. Hyunjin scampered upright haphazardly, not thinking twice before bringing her smaller figure into his sleeved arms, flexing them as though in absolute protection. The heels of his palms dug into her back as he held her close in an embrace that was long overdue, resting his chin atop her head and breathing in time with her. Surprisingly, Elena acquiesced, closing her eyes against the tassels of his purple hoodie. 

It was heaven.  

‘I know. Ya, look at me,’ he told her steadily, his deep voice vibrating against her muscles. Slowly, he tilted her head up, his pupils flicking between hers as he held her out, his hands firmly supporting her shoulders. ‘You’re beautiful. I want to be back in your life. I want to rekindle our spark. I want to be yours again.’ 

‘I don’t,’ she whispered in return, ‘because I want to leave what happened in the past. How many times do I have to say that?’

‘What can I do to change your mind?’

‘We don’t know each other anymore,’ Elena recalled, focusing down on their shoes. ‘Five years can really change a person. I’m one example. You have no idea who I am.’ 

‘Yes, I do.’ His grip on her bare wrist was making her dizzy. ‘I have loved you all my life-’ 

‘Don’t you dare even do this to me, Hwang Hyunjin!’ She recoiled, almost tripping backwards down the mound. ‘Don’t make me feel worse about myself!’   

‘I don’t mean to!’ he defended, reaching out to her again. ‘Please, Len. Be my girlfriend again. It’s all I’m living for.’ 

‘I don’t see any benefits for me,’ the woman snapped. ‘If you get your head out of your arse for five minutes, you’ll be able to see that this is all about you. You’re doing this for yourself, just like before.’ 

‘Ya!’ One index finger came to point shakily; his limits had been passed. ‘That was really below the belt. Stop being so rude to me. I told you what happened five years ago. What else do you want?’ 

‘I want you to stop nagging me to do things I don’t want to do.’

‘You never said you don’t want to,’ Hyunjin shot back. ‘In fact, you even said you were convinced by me! You said your heart gets you in trouble too much!’ 

Elena was alarmed at the man’s accuracy. ‘How the hell do you remember that?’ 

‘‘Cause I care. I still remember things about you from five years ago, like the kiss we had here. It was over there, under that slide.’    

‘Wait-’ 

‘I was wearing a green t-shirt my mum had ironed that same day, with the skinny jeans I was so obsessed with. You were wearing a white dress with thin straps, and your hair was down. You were wearing glasses then; you’re not now.’ 

‘Have you always been so observant?’ she enquired, visibly softening as his love shone through. ‘You always seemed to just go with the flow.’  

‘I listen a lot more than people think.’ 

Elena’s lips drew into a straight line. ‘‘People’ being me, huh? I’m sorry.’ 

‘For what?’ 

She released a giant exhale, ‘For not paying enough attention to you back then, what else? If I had, I would have noticed your struggle with the girl who used to follow you around.’   

Hyunjin could hardly bear to say, ‘Maybe we’d still be together now if...if you had.’ 

‘Maybe,’ she agreed. ‘But we’re not.’ 

‘But we could be!’ The man’s persistence was commendable, to say the least. ‘We could be, right now. Just say yes!’ 

To his disbelief, Elena was smiling wryly. ‘You’re very pushy, Mister Hwang. It’s a good thing I-’ She stopped herself, her throat closing up as though it were restricting her next notion from escaping.

‘You what? What?’ 

‘It’s a good thing you’ve persuaded me.’  

The male’s saliva caught at the back of his throat. ‘You can’t be…serious.’ 

‘I’ve never been more serious in my life.’ There was not a hint of falsity in Elena’s countenance. 

Hyunjin’s perfect lips curved into an unbefitting smirk, his considerable underdevelopment socially rendering him less able to understand his lover’s steely deportment. ‘Even more serious than when you kissed me for the first time? That day I lost the tennis match to Lee Felix, remember?’  

A plethora of neon lights lit up the heart of the city on the horizon, suppressed beats of music pumping the still air. Cicadas were disturbing the utopia, the greenery around the breathless pair rustling, indicating the movements of small animals. Otherwise, the field was completely soundless like an uninhabited island, devoid of devious, nature-wrecking human-beings. 

‘To be honest, you seem a lot calmer than I am,’ the woman pointed out, already beginning to regret her impulsive decision - she’d followed her heart, definitely not her head. ‘How?’ 

‘You didn’t answer my question, beautiful.’ 

‘And you didn’t answer mine, Pretty-Boy.’ 

‘Wow…’ The man’s eyes were creased in a happy smile - he’d finally let himself go, his elation flooding his full sensibility. ‘This conversation is like a fairytale.’

‘What the hell kind of fairytales do you read?’ Elena enquired, arms coming up to fold across her chest. 

Hyunjin stroked her cheek, electricity sparking through their bodies, souls connected through the revealing, unvarnished eye-contact. Elena couldn’t bring herself to touch him; his undisguised devotion weakened her, a flawless display of intense fidelity - fidelity that had never ceased in the wake of five empty years. Oxygen stuck in her windpipe, feeling stark naked under his deferential, benign gaze, as though he was examining all the contents of her brain.   

Voice barely above a whisper, he spoke, ‘Ones that all have a happily ever after.’   

~ <3 ~

His loving smile…

His adoring eyes…

His warmth as he embraced her…

‘Maybe we’ve always been made for each other.’

‘Earth to Elena?’  

Changbin’s cheerful tones plummeted Elena back to reality painfully as she rocked back and forth childishly in her seat. She hadn’t yet opened her laptop in front of her, and the writing club she and her friend were attending had been in progress for half an hour already. The other participants were watching her awkwardly - she engendered sorrow, its metaphorical blue vapours basically visible. The world was not worth any more wasted tears; she remained in a state of ponderous quietude, her friend’s words from next to her piercing right through to her core.

‘Come on, then,’ the latter continued, not looking up from his hurried scribbling. ‘Tell me what’s been going on with you to make you so depressed. There’s…stuff you’re not telling me!’  

Seconds passed, but they remained in an eerie silence. 

‘I don’t even know anymore,’ the woman then blurted honestly, upon surmising that she unfortunately had no choice but to prolong the matter. ‘It’s…a big issue.’

‘Really?’ Changbin continued to push, as Elena chewed daintily on the inside of her cheek. ‘This has got something to do with Hwang Hyunjin, doesn’t it?’ 

‘How the hell do you know that?’ 

‘Yep, that’s what I thought. You didn’t listen to me, did you? I’ve told you so many times that he was a toxic boyfriend!’ 

‘Stop it!’ she cried, blushing. ‘I mean…he’s changed. He’s nice, you know, and he’s having a hard time right now.’

‘What?’ Her friend snapped his head over his shoulder to accost, ‘Are you in contact with him?’  

‘He…may have been…the publisher I met for my…new job.’ The female was wringing her hands under the surface of the table, boiling to one-hundred degrees. 

‘He what?!’ He spun around in his chair, giving himself a strong whiplash. ‘Are you joking?! Don’t you dare take that job!’

‘Changbin!’ the other lashed out, whisper-shouting. ‘I told you, this is my last chance! I’ve been rejected by every other job I tried to apply for which made me so unconfident! Hyunjin hired me as an assistant, and he’s my-!’ She stopped, swallowing thickly. Her voice softened, ‘You don’t understand…I have to have this. I thought you’d be…happy for me.’ 

‘Of course, I am,’ Changbin muttered, clasping her hands in his larger pair. ‘But - as all your other friends have said, Elena - you need to distance yourself from him. That man’s bad news. What’s the hard time he’s having?’

‘Why is it any of your business?’ 

‘Because I fear he’s going to ruin you again,’ he informed, his lips in a straight line. ‘He’s going to use you for his benefit, just like he did back then. For goodness’ sake, can’t you see the parallels here?’ 

‘I can, but this is different!’ Elena shrugged, defending herself. ‘We’ve both grown up. Grown-up life is completely different to high-school life. Do you really think he’s going to be that same teenager now?’  

‘Maybe he has physically changed.’ He crossed his arms over his chest, his look condescending. ‘But I don’t think his attitude has changed at all. He’s still going to be the same two-faced, arrogant Hwang Hyunjin.’ 

The other shook her head back and forth vigorously. ‘No, you’re wrong. You’ve never known him the way I do. I think it’s destiny that we re-met. Maybe it was. Maybe this is a brand-new start in our relationship.’  

‘There is no relationship.’  

‘I can tell that you’re jealous, Changbin,’ the female barked, folding one leg over the other crossly. ‘You’ve told me countless times how much you like me. You just want a chance.’ 

‘Come on, that’s harsh,’ he pouted, drawing away a bit. ‘Elena, if you date him again, I’m not going to help you.’ The man left his cold comment lingering in the stifling air of the hostel visitor’s section. ‘I’ve warned you countless times, and if you’re not going to listen to me, that’s your problem. What would you call your relationship with Hwang?’    

‘We…relate as individuals, I guess. We…talk.’  

‘And that’s not all, is it?’ 

Elena released a robust exhale, evaluating all the possible lies she could spew to deter her friend; as much as she hated not being straight-up with her most loyal companions, the situation at-hand was incredibly infelicitous. ‘Aren’t you feeling worse by making such assumptions?’ 

Changbin wheezed in offence. ‘No, I’m being truthful.’ 

‘Listen…’ the woman started, abandoning any original pretence, and beginning to launch into a bundle of heartfelt confessions. ‘It shouldn’t matter to you what relationships I have with anyone, okay? I just need some time to myself to think.’ 

‘Then I guess that’s you telling me to shut the fuck up.’ The man seemed exasperated, withholding his true sentiments from flitting across his features - his acting degree considerably aided this. 'I see how it is.' 

‘I don’t want to fall out with you,’ she cooed, eyes curiously circular. 

'Neither do I…But, Elena, things are getting awkward.' 

‘‘Awkward’?’ she echoed, eyebrows knitted together. ‘I don’t think so.’ 

‘How?’ The other’s voice cracked as he swallowed forcefully, fidgeting laboriously in his seat. ‘I make it obvious that I like you. Do you not get uncomfortable with that?’ 

‘No, of course not,’ Elena soothed, patting his shoulder in friendliness. ‘You can’t help how you feel about someone…even if that ‘someone’ is me.’ 

‘Are you sure?’ Changbin was evidently insecure, his dark eyes like a puppy’s. ‘I’ll stop talking about it if you want me to.’ 

‘I know how you’re feeling,’ she carried on cleverly. ‘I’m in love, too, remember. Sometimes I feel obsessed, like I want to keep talking about him all the time.’

‘I’m glad you don’t think I’m weird.’ 

‘Did you really think that?’ the woman questioned compassionately. 

‘Yeah,’ he informed. ‘I thought our friendship was…falling apart.’  

‘Of course not,’ she said genuinely. Then, holding his hands in her own (Changbin averting his attention to the floor), she confirmed with an air of finality, ‘It sounds stupid, but don’t be ashamed that you like me, okay? I’m not going to stop you from expressing yourself, that’s not what a best friend does.’ 

The male’s face instantly brightened. ‘‘Best friend’?’ 

‘Yeah. You’re an amazing friend and you’ve helped me incredibly.’ 

Had he, though? 

Changbin for sure had been her soundboard, absorbing her many burdened thoughts she continued to spew, blessed with admirable patience; listening and rarely intervening with his own contradictions came to him with ease. 

He’d been there to caress her hand when she had cried, supplying her with hearty chatter. He’d been there as a – broad – shoulder to sob on, uttering compassionate reassurances in her ear. He’d been there for a smile, his carefree nature fake with the sole intent of illuminating the space.      

He’d always done all he could do.

He’d always put Elena on a pedestal. 

He’d always been there.  

Yet even he - who, to Elena, was a philanthropic oracle, somehow recognising a solution to every issue she put forward, a wize, omniscient wizard - could not experience her teenage heartbreak. 

She hadn’t told anyone about her current situation. There was no need to involve her friends - if anything, knowing that her and Hyunjin’s resurrected ‘relationship’ was purely fake would increase their loathing of him, reaching a pique from which there was no escape. 

Elena overfelt, overthought, and overloved.

Hwang Hyunjin had pointed the latter out.   

~ <3 ~

Hyunjin’s bedroom in Hellevator Homes was weirdly unrecognisable to him that night - that night that seemed to drag, an endless blank space, refusing to give way to the dawn. The man seemed alienated despite being surrounded by his own snug sources of comfort, as though he were a stranger in the place he’d had so much enjoyment creating. 

He should have been happy - he should have been cherishing the increased amount of precious time he’d soon be spending with Elena, each passing second with her an otherworldly paradise. 

'Ya, Hyun…' He rolled his eyes, noticing he was speaking aloud. ‘She still accepted. That’s the good news.’  

she accepted…

She accepted!

SHE ACCEPTED!!

Hyunjin's relief at this was indescribable. He’d reacquired an angel of a woman, a lost prize. Her appearance had changed neutrally, but her mannerisms had never faltered since adolescence. There remained to be a twinkle in her hazel eyes whenever she fully focused on him, her expression pure like a newborn baby, curious at such unrivalled beauty, wondering how something so perfect could be so real. 

Hyunjin knew all too well that he was deeply, endlessly in love with Ji Elena. 

And he had never stopped.  

The man's feelings tended to be intense, a shortcoming to his character he’d never bothered to question; he’d just sat back and let it fester, controlling every aspect of his life and the lives of those closest to him; it made him internally unattractive, in striking contrast to his outward beauty; it made him unstable; it made him untrustworthy.  

After all, who could he trust, if not himself? 

~ <3 ~

-FIVE YEARS EARLIER-

College student Lim Jeongmin was known for her flirtatious demeanour. It was said that no party had ever truly begun until she had arrived, her lacquered lips smirking in the way only hers could as she strutted inside, her typically revealing outfits widening the eyes of many males at the event’s venue. On this occasion – a ‘friendly’ (sex was more or less guaranteed at house parties such as this) gathering, - her silky hair was flowing down her back, her fringe brushed aside carnally. The make-up under her cheekbones had been applied so harshly that it made them look as though they could pierce through glass. A lengthy, black, V-line dress hugged her body, the slit down her right leg not leaving much to the imagination.  

Hyunjin had escaped from the raucous in the basement and was sulking in the kitchen, rueing his unjust decision to turn down a date with his own girlfriend for…this. It seemed that he was the unwilling winner of Jeongmin’s usually unobtainable attention tonight, considering his youthful handsomeness could have rivalled a supermodel at just eighteen.  

‘Why do you look so rough tonight?’ Her voice had been husky; she downed a drink in one, slamming the empty glass back onto the work surface of the kitchen. ‘You look like someone’s just been murdered in front of you.’  

‘I-…’ Hyunjin had sighed, rubbing one hand across his face as he leaned his lower back against the edge of the counter. ‘Sorry. I’ve just got a lot on my mind tonight.’  

The invasive female flaunted towards him; the boy, taken-aback, raised his hands either side of his head in a movement of surrender as she ventured closer in proximity. 

‘Loosen up, baby. You’re so tight,’ she teased, stroking the side of his blonde locks with an ingratiating smile. ‘I’ve finally…caught you.’

Before Hyunjin could release a word of protest, Jeongmin threw her arms around his neck, basically smacking their lips onto one another in a hazy moment of arduous desire. Her fists clenched in his thick hair as the male’s fingers worked their way to each of her shoulders, forcefully detaching them, shaking his head.

‘What the hell are you doing?!’ he shouted.  

‘Kissing you.’     

‘No, you can’t! I have a girlfriend! What is wrong with you?!’  

‘Oh, yeah…Ji Alena, isn’t it?’ the girl continued to patronise. ‘I’m sure she…umm…won’t mind.’         

‘No!’ Hyunjin, silhouetted in the sublime rays of the moon, was fighting between throwing a fit and throwing up. ‘What the hell is wrong with you?! You-You just-! Why would you-?!’ He paused for breath. ‘You need to stop doing this. I’m not interested in you. How many times do I need to say that?’ 

Somehow - it seemed impossible, - Jeongmin caved into guilty realisation and reached out to comfort him; Hyunjin smacked her away with a distressed, ‘Don’t you dare touch me! I never want to see you again.’

‘Please don’t be like that-’  

But he had already rushed through the back door in a whirlwind of guilty tears.

~ <3 ~

The sky was ablaze with the fire of the setting sun, glowing with the multi-coloured life of the Red-Light District. Its slanting rays gave off an affable orange tinge, illuminating the road by the bus-stop at which Elena was waiting, leaning hesitatingly against the lone lamppost. She adjusted the elegant, scarlet dress that flattered her body just right, its attached sequined belt digging into her waist uncomfortably, her dark-brown tresses styled in a nice plait around her head. Her partially-lighted shadow joined those of the many tall, proud pine trees behind; she started violently, losing her balance, as another inky figure made itself visible, cutting into the shiny clearing.   

‘You look gorgeous,’ Hyunjin said coquettishly, breaking the silence, ‘as usual.’  

‘Thank you, Hyun,’ she replied lightly, recovering from her fright. Really appreciating the honest compliment, she ruffled the pleated skirt of her outfit with a shy giggle. 

‘Where are you going tonight?

‘To a high-school reunion…’ Elena sighed. ‘To be honest, I’ve been dreading it for weeks…ever since I got the invitation.’

‘You shouldn’t go if you don’t want to,’ the man suggested pointedly. ‘I see you’ve really dressed up for the event, though.’ 

‘Yeah…I mean, it’s not that big of a deal.’ The female straightened up her posture, loosening the tight muscles of her shoulder-blades. Looking up at him fondly, she tried,  ‘Maybe I should have an early night.’  

He physically resisted the urge to hold her hand, keeping to himself so as to not to push her boundaries, especially since her emotions were so heightened. In affection’s place, he persuaded, ‘Not that my opinion matters, but you should, honey. Or-…’ He stopped, his chest inflated with his big inhale. ‘Or we could, you know…spend the night together?’ 

Elena’s expression spoke volumes; Hyunjin hurried to correct himself, ‘I mean, like…discuss things, maybe finalise things. Nothing that goes beyond our rela- I mean, fake relationship. You can come back to my house, if you- if you want. Of course, you’re always welcome there.’  

The other’s face twinkled pleasantly like a shy school girl in front of her crush - in many ways, that metaphor was true. ‘That’s so kind of you…’ 

‘But?’ 

‘There’s a lot on my mind, you know,’ she confessed as though she was in the wrong. ‘This is still…a lot to process, so, I’d rather be left alone right now.’ 

The man’s deportment thoroughly turned upside-down. ‘Honey, what’s the matter? Are you thinking about me again? Be honest.’  

Elena didn’t speak, metaphorically suffocated by her whirling mind. The other sighed, stroking the side of her face, his eyes purely caring. ‘Look…we need to discuss this again. We’ve already failed once, so we need to get this relationship right, even if it's fake.’    

‘I know what you’re trying to make me say.’ Her voice broke. 

‘Say it, then,’ Hyunjin dared, finally snaking his soft hand down her forearm. ‘If you really mean it, say it - right here, right now.’  

‘I’m not going to!’ she cried back, eyes wild with panic. ‘I don’t want to ruin everything we have right now.’  

‘Your feelings aren’t going to change anything!’ The male’s tone was husky with arduous desire. 'What are you so afraid of? Admit how you feel, please just admit it to me.’      

'But I don't want to admit it.' The other withdrew her body slightly. 'I'm scared of getting my heart broken all over again.' 

'We have no boundaries this time round!' Hyunjin panicked. 'There is no one to ruin what we’ve had for years - ‘cause I’ve never stopped loving you. Somewhere inside, you must know that I’ve missed you, Len.’    

And there was that recognisable flipping-over of her stomach. 

Hyunjin closed the gap and put his tempting lips to Elena’s.  

This was no clumsy mashing of mouths, but a trusting exploration of textures and warmth. He shifted their positions so that the woman was leaning back, his face comfortably above hers. It made so much sense to her; it felt right this way. She was enjoying his gentleness; his fingers supporting the small of her back were angelic. 

This was only a harmless kiss. It meant nothing.  

But it felt so perfect.

Hyunjin was her soulmate she had been looking for her whole life.  

He leaned in a second time, planting chaste, feather-light pecks across her forehead. Her head racing dizzyingly, she turned her back to him, cradling her shivering bare arms against her chest.   

‘What else can I do to make you trust me?’ Hyunjin replied in a sing-song voice, his hands resting either side of her waist. ‘Please.’    

She swatted his loving grasp away, shaking her head forcefully. Composing herself as much as possible, she faced her seemingly undesirable lover, impossible to meet his caring gaze. ‘I’m scared.’ 

Hyunjin’s grey eyes sparkled in the faint evening sunlight. ‘I love you.’ 

‘I love you, too,’ the other gingerly made apparent. ‘I love you so much it scares me.’   

‘Please don’t leave me.’ The man’s vision clouded over with tears, his pulse pounding around his head. ‘I know you’re overwhelmed - I am, too! - but we’ve always trusted each other. It’s like we’re missing puzzle pieces. You can’t leave now, when everything we have is…fucking perfect.’    

‘I’m not leaving you, Hyun,’ Elena wept. ‘I told you five years ago I would never leave you whatever happens.’ 

‘Hey…’ Hyunjin had started, ‘Len, whatever happens, you’ll never leave me, will you?’ 

‘‘Leave you’? What do you mean?’ 

‘You know…you’ll never…uhh…’ He’d shrugged. ‘Whatever I…say, you won’t hate me and ruin our friendship, will you?’  

She had side-eyed him bombastically, shying away slightly. ‘Of course not, Hyun. You mean too much to me to go now.’ 

On edge, Elena tilted her head sideways, connecting the man’s delightful lips with her own for a second time - perhaps not as diligently as the first. They merged lightly, Hyunjin’s fingers grazing his beloved’s hip as though she were made of easily breakable pieces of glass; her own strayed to the small of his back, pulling him closer, living for the mind-numbing adrenaline that came with their closeness.    

‘I feel like there’s something really similar between me and Hyunjin…I just can’t put my finger on what it is.’  

With an extreme kaleidoscope of excitement, Elena realised that she’d found her long-awaited answer: their passion for each other had always been identical. 

Hyunjin sobbed emotionally, beaming as he took his soulmate into an embrace. The woman inhaled his solacing scent - pine, with a hint of aloe vera, - relishing in the warm familiarity it brought.    

Finally. 

He was home.  

He was a star glittering in the immense universe.    

He was the sunrise over a daisy-dusted meadow.  

He was her missing piece. 

In ‘04, Ji Elena started to view the world in colour.     

#stray kids boyfriend #stray kids #stray kids x oc #stray kids x reader #hyunjin fanfic #stray kids fanfic #hyunjin skz #hyunjin scenarios #hyunjin soft hours #stray kids oneshot #hyunjin x oc #stray kids angst

[thewholecrew]

@headstrongblake said: a kiss while being reunited after a long time (but um…you know, that kiss when hes back) / kass & nick

she hadn't been sure it was true at first when she heard from hunter that rev and nick were both returning to town. she sat there with alec as hunter looked him over for any lasting injuries from his kidnapping, seated beside him and holding his hand. that was when they heard rev's voice down the hall of the clubhouse. "alec?!" they called out in an urgent tone, the closest kassy had ever heard them sound fearful. as they entered the office kassy watched as alec's eyes lit up and tears pooled in them, arms reaching out towards rev as they went to him and hunter stepped back to give them space.

rev's arms wrapped around alec as they sunk to their knees in front of the chair he sat, embracing him in a way kassy had never witnessed before. lips parted but she said nothing, rising as she decided to give them a moment. she shared that relief rev felt towards alec yet her heart seemed to quicken at the realization that nick was back too. her emotions about him was like a tangled web of hurt, anger, concern and love, and if she was honest she wasn't sure she was ready to see him no matter how her heart yearned.

as if that mattered at all, she thought bitterly when she turned the corner and paused, dark eyes growing wide as she saw him standing there, looking lost and out of place in his own nightclub. he had been gone for quite some time and she wasn't ready for the way relief surged through her. he was alive, and back home in one piece. her throat closed, eyes stinging as he then noticed her, turning towards her almost hesitantly. she still felt that hurt, anger, and betrayal burning inside but her feet were moving quickly and without thought or pause to consider those feelings. no, in this moment the joy and relief of his return swept through her as she all but ran to him.

her arms wrapped around his neck as she crashed into him, hands cupping the back of his head as she pulled him down, lips colliding against his own in a hard, passionate and verging on desperate kiss. no matter how angry she was with him, she was so fucking happy he was back, he was okay. her eyes shut tightly as she kissed him, expression pained as she forced herself not to step back and examine every inch of him to make sure he hadn't been hurt, to keep from telling him she had missed him terribly, had feared for him every goddamn day he was gone. emotions overwhelmed her and she wanted to cry, to scream at him, to shake him yet she couldn't pull away, not until the need to breathe separated them.

his arms had gone around her but as the kiss broke so did the overwhelming joy, her hurt and anger swallowing it whole and consuming her as she shoved him back, if just to break free from his embrace. dark eyes shimmered with unshed tears as a furious shuddered breath escaped her. she couldn't look up at him, couldn't meet those beautiful, sad, blue eyes. "i'm glad you're back," she muttered in a rough voice between a few quiet pants. it was a genuine statement despite the anger in her tone. her hands on his chest flexed as if fighting on whether to pull him close once again or not. she didn't, stepping back as her hands went to her sides and she tried to keep the pain unsuccessfully off her face.

she kept her gaze cast to the side and couldn't bear to hear anything he had to say, shaking her head as he began to speak. she backed away as a broken no escaped her lips before she all but turned from him and fled. she didn't want to hear it, couldn't. alec needed her anyways. alec appreciated her time, her help. had been there for her the whole time nick wasn't. kassy, i love you. nick's confession before he had left echoed in her mind and it only hurt more, made a bitter disbelief flood through her as she disappeared into the bathroom to get a hold of herself, to hide.

#headstrongblake #verse: all american. #kassy harwell: answered ask.

[jakethesequel]

Trans-Femme Fatale

We were partners, he and I. Private investigators, ace dicks, problem sleuths, whatever way you gab it. Only so many ways to put lipstick on a pig. But I digress. Now he's missing. Three days. Could be dead, far as I know.

All started when that girl walked in. He was out on a case, I was keeping up an important conversation with a bottle of scotch. Girl said she was looking for her brother. Ran away from home in '44 to join up. Good on him. Get away from family drama and kill some ratzis to boot. Except the war's over and nobody's heard from him since. He and his folks, the girl tells me, never much got along, but her brother always doted on her.

New York City, that's a long walk from here. She tells me some actress friend of the girl's moves here a few months back and swears up and down she saw this brother on the streets, but couldn't tail him. So the loving sister comes down to reunite. She tells me the location. It's near my partner's building, so I call him and I'm lucky enough to get an answer. I give him the case, on merit of location.

I never hear from him again.

And the girl, neither. Hotel clerk says she signed out the morning after we met, with an older woman. Possibly a relation, he says. Something fishy about what the girl told me. The mother wouldn't come to find the brother if he was on fire, to hear her story.

No sign of a forced entry or a quick exit at my partner's pad. Hell, all his clothes are still there, so if he ran off on his own, he did it in a hurry. But no note? No nothin', after these years of working together? You'd think I'd earned that much. All's I got to go off of now is the faint smell of a nice perfume hanging low in the air. Fennel. Maybe a clue, or maybe a hooker.

I ask the old landlady if she's seen anyone go up to his floor. He seeing anyone? He ever meet with this girl from New York? She doesn't spy on her residents, she says. I get Andrew Jackson to repeat my questions. She tells me sometimes this dolled-up blonde visits him, late. Looks a little like that New York girl, she says, only with a whole lot more woman. Like I said: fishy.

Imagine my surprise to check back at the office and find this leggy dame sitting at his desk. I'd be pissin mad if she didn't fill those stockings so nicely while she did it. As it stands I just drag my eyes up over the broad's body so I can ask her to her face what she did to my partner. Is he dead? Who's the girl? What's your angle here, lady?

"Dead? No, no, only in a manner of speaking."

I tell ya, I almost pulled my piece right there, joking about this kind of a thing. But it'd be a cryin' shame to ruin a chest like that. I let her sultry voice speak. She starts by telling me she's the girl's sister. Bullshit. The girl told me she only had the one brother. Shut up and let me finish, she says. Yes ma'am, I say. Feisty one. Says her parents always thought they had a son, but she knew otherwise. Don't know how you could make w mistake like that! They made her live as a boy and tell everyone else, too. So she runs off to join the fighting in Europe. Gets denied, 4-F she says. I didn't know they made 'em bigger than a size D. So she does the next best thing: hop a train west and hope there's work wherever you get off. Sets herself up a new identity once she's got living money. Two, in fact. Some people still don't like her being a woman, apparently. A double life: one for work and the other for leisure. When her sister came around looking, she got in touch and explained everything. Apologized for running out on her, paid for her trip back home, even gave her the phone number if she ever needed anything else.

Lovely story, pulls at the heart-strings. She needs a minute to compose herself. I offer her some scotch and she takes it, staining red lips on the glass. Still, I lean forward, I've got to press her: how does my partner play into all this? Is he all right? Is he safe? Is he even alive? Then I catch a whiff of fennel, and I realize. We were partners, she and I.

#trans fiction