#but the two just have such a good friendship that it doesn’t even occur to the people involved | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

saturnville · 6 days

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do you want to, l. hamilton

pairing: he (lewis hamilton) x black best friend oc (anvika dawson) content: in which two friends cross a line people have been waiting for them to cross...and it works out. warning: 18+ content, angst, fluff, heavy dialogue song: do you want to by xscape an: part one here. part two here. their story is complete. thank you for reading <3 tags: @boujiestpoet @mauvecherie-writes @saintslewis @greedyjudge2 @vile-harlot @emjayewrites @ggaslyp1 @neeville

They hadn’t spoken in over a month. A bridge seemed to find its way between them. Not finding their way back to one another was unlike them. Most disagreements lasted at most three days. But, for there to have been 30 days of silence had her questioning if they’d come back from what they went through.

But, after a much-needed therapy session, a cry session with Onyx, and deep reflection, Anvika realized that space was the best thing she could give him. She was challenged to put herself in his shoes and that changed her perspective entirely.

“I want you to think from his perspective, Anvika,” her therapist began. She was an older Black woman with rich skin and silver hair. Her eyes were like honey and her voice was warm like the hug of an old church mother. “If you had feelings for him, right, whether you admitted them or not, and there came a time where the dam that contained all the feelings, emotions, thoughts, what have you, had broken and he was willing to drown in it all, just to turn around and downplay what occurred not even 12 hours later, how would you feel?”

Ouch. Having it repeated to her without bias struck her uncomfortably. Anvika twisted her lips as she pondered long and hard. How would she feel? Rejected? Embarrassed? Used? Maybe all of the above.

“What are you thinking about?” her therapist, Traci, asked. “And it doesn’t have to come out perfect or sound. Say how you feel.”

Suddenly, her chest heaved as her breaths grew deeper. Her tongue circled her teeth and her eyes welled with tears. “I love him. I always have, in one way or another. But, I cherish what we’ve got and I just don’t—“ she sighed deeply. “I’m afraid for it to be ruined and I lose another man that I love.”

Traci hummed. “So, you love him. Always have, you’ve built a good friendship with him, which could be a solid foundation for a potential romantic relationship, which he seemingly wants, but you’re afraid that it would go wrong and you’d lose him. What else are you afraid of?”

“Just…that I won’t be more than a body to keep his bed warm. That’s why my ex and I split. Sure, we were together, but he was more invested in sex than he was in cultivating and strengthening our relationship. Intimacy is important, but only being desired for your body does something to a girl. I don’t want that…and so I’m afraid of being nothing more than a warm body. And now I’m upset because I teetered on my boundaries which were no sex with anyone that wasn’t my significant other. I don’t have a significant other, Traci. I have a best friend…or had.”

Anvika’s voice shook as she spoke. She fiddled with the necklaces stacked around her neck. 3 gold necklaces—Queen Nefertiti, a heart, and the number 44. Traci’s eyes followed her hands. “What’s 44 stand for?”

Anvika’s hands stalled. Her voice was quiet: “It’s his racing number. He races today.”

“You wear it often?”

Anvika nodded.

“Why?” Traci pressed, pushing her glasses above her head.

“It helps me feel close to him when he’s away. He’s always away.”

Another hum came from Traci. “Does he wear anything that represents you?”

It was small. A simple word on his neck was often hidden by his braided hair. Completion. The definition of her name. He’d gotten it a year prior and never told her until she was helping him take his braids down and noticed the fresh ink there. Her heart grew three sizes that day.

Anvika swallowed thickly. “My name means strong and complete. He has completion tattooed on his neck.”

Traci chuckled in amusement. Breakthrough was happening.

“Sounds to me that the relationship the two of you have goes deeper than you’d like to admit. You shouldn’t beat yourself over the night you shared with him. We all have moments where we teeter-totter. And even though you didn’t want to, you did. But not only did you do it, you did it with a man who cherishes you, who honors you, who respects you. He is still your closest friend, but who is to say that your lover shouldn’t first be your friend? The choice is yours and I will walk with you through whatever decision you make. Just take the time to think about it, Anvika.”

She’d thought about it every day since.

Misery wasn’t a state he found himself in often, let alone one that he allowed himself to bask in. He was a firm believer in not allowing his circumstances to permanently alter his mood; his actions proved that he wasn’t the believer he thought he was.

His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. His words were more limited than usual. His animations were not quite animated. He was going through the motions day by day, a boring routine that grew exhausting. He was better than this and he knew it. But, his usual methods of taking a run, spending time with loved ones, and giving in to his sweet tooth didn’t help. If anything, they made him feel worse. All because they were activities they did together. It seemed as though his entire life was attached to her and it drove him mad.

He didn’t think there’d be a day where his mood would be affected by his disconnect from her. And it manifested physically. Lewis was tired often, which was a symptom of the fast-paced lifestyle, but for it to show in his eyes and the slowness of his movements was a clear indication that he was not okay.

Lewis sighed into his pillow as his phone dinged once again. If he could throw it away, he would. His eyes glanced at the screen. Ani. The fourth message he’d received from her and the fourth time he wouldn’t reply. Not because he didn’t want to, but because he didn’t have much to say.

You raced well, it read. I hope you’re doing well…I hope we cross paths again when you’re ready.

He grappled with responding. His heart yearned to speak with her but his mind overpowered his ability to pick up the phone. What would he respond with? Thanks, not ready to see you because you hurt my heart and made me feel rejected. Talk soon. He’d be damned.

He did a double-take after a moment. You raced well. She watched? His heart twisted. She attended every race she could, amid screaming fans jumping for joy. He could still hear her strained voice chanting his name when he walked on the track.

“Lewis!”

His conversation with the gentleman ahead of him was stopped. The racer apologized graciously and turned to see Anvika at the top of the bleachers waving excitedly. It was her first international race and she was over the moon to be there. He chuckled and beckoned her down.

She shuffled through the bleachers and was soon guided by a security guard to where he stood. She smiled widely. “So, how do you feel?” Her hands grabbed his own and squeezed. She was about to burst.

“I feel good,” he said with a smile. “How do you feel?”

“I’m so excited! I hardly ever leave the country unless it’s for business, so to be here and supporting you--so exciting!” The small bounce she did had the jewelry around her neck bobbing. His eyes dropped to her exposed collarbone--Nefertiti, a gold heart, and the number 44. Bright and shiny like it was brand new. His eyebrow raised. “That new?” His finger curled around the chain, tugging softly. The action had her stumbling toward him.

“Oh, this?” she quipped. “Yeah. I’m not too much of a jersey girl but I couldn’t come without repping you at all. My hat’s up there with Onyx.” She pointed to the bleachers. She hoped it didn’t get swiped--she made him sign it.

The smile on his face matched hers. For them to have been friends, she cared for him in ways that would have people assuming otherwise. Wearing someone’s name or number around your neck, closest to your heart, spoke volumes. And she’d chosen to do it for him. The honor he felt was immense. Lewis wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pressed his lips against her forehead. “You, my love, are a gem.”

“Jeez,” he huffed as he buried his head further into the pillow. Soon, his pillow was wet with tears. He hated to admit how much he missed her. How much he craved hearing her laugh, seeing her smile, or feeling the weight of her when she’d fall asleep on his shoulder. He missed her.

They crossed paths the following Monday after the Met Gala. Lewis was waiting in a lobby for his car to arrive when he heard her call his name in hopes he’d respond. It was an awkward reunion. Neither party knew what to say or what to do. Anvika was surprised he’d spoken to her and Lewis was gobsmacked at her beauty.

“You look beautiful,” he said after some time.

She always claimed red wasn’t her color, but she proved herself wrong and proved himself right. Her dress was much different than what she normally went for and it only emphasized the impact she made once she hit the carpet. The scarlet red complimented the richness of her complexion beautifully and the rose-like details were stunning. And her heels were like liquid gold on her feet. She’d done her hair differently as well. Her dark brown hair was pressed and in an intricate updo that showcased her ethereal features from her dark eyebrows to her round lips. Anvika Dawson was a gem.

Anvika smiled small, feeling flustered under his intense gaze. Her hands smoothed the material of her dress. “Thank you. You do, too.” And she meant it. He was an ethereal being. She often wondered if he was real. Her fingers clawed at her dress as she fought the urge to run her fingers cross his shoulder.

He was dressed to the nines and in her opinion, had been the best dressed gentleman there. She always adored him in black. It made him look powerful and like the king of the room. And his skin, rich and golden, glowed beneath the ambient lights.

Silence covered the two of them like a thin blanket--uncomfortable. Lewis couldn’t remember a time when he was uncomfortable in her presence…until now. Moments later, his security detail let him know the car was present. He prepared to bid his farewells but was stopped by Anvika’s hand on his arm.

“Wait…are you staying at the hotel with the…” In a nervous ramble, she went on and on describing the luxurious building she was put in on behalf of her agency. It was 22 stories tall with the most beautiful lights surrounding the entryway, a maroon carpet leading into the foyer, and a surplus of botanical plants that made her feel as though she was walking through a palace. Lewis, amused by her nervous tangent, nodded.

Anvika’s eyes lit up with hope. “Will you…if you’re up to it…will you stop by, please? I-I’m on the 14th floor, room 44. Will you please just,” she sighed deeply and tore her eyes from his just momentarily, “I miss you, Lewis. And…”

And there it was. He stammered slightly and suddenly felt small under her hopeful gaze. He missed her too. He nodded once more. Anvika released the breath she had no clue she held and assured him she’d be there whenever he decided to come, just to let her know. Before he was whisked away by security, he heard her voice in his ears once again, “Thank you.”

Anvika’s feet nearly burned holes in the floor as she paced around her suite. Her thumb was in her mouth, a chewtoy for her nerves. Her eyes cut toward the small wall clock near the bathroom. He said he’d arrive within an hour. Two minutes late. Would he show up? Her heart was a snare drum in her chest as she contemplated her emotions.

“Calm down,” she ordered herself, though it came out muffled as her teeth drug down the side of her thumb, pulling a tag of sensitive skin with it. She winced when she tugged too hard. “Dammit.”

Then, there was a soft knock. Her head shot up and a gasp came from her. He came. Anvika frantically patted her hair, hoping that her bun didn’t look awful, and sped over to the suite door. She took a deep breath before pulling it open. She smiled small, “Hi.” She moved out of the way to welcome his presence.

Falling into natural order, Lewis made his way toward the couch in the living area of the suite. He sat off to the side, nearest the right arm of the couch with his hands in his lap. She sat at the opposite end with her knees toward inward, brushing against his gently. His eyes were glued to the floor. The tenseness made her uneasy.

She cleared her throat awkwardly and played with the loose strings at the cuff of her (his) oversized sweatshirt. “I had a therapy session not too long after everything happened,” she began. Her admission made him look at her. His eyes, once so full of life and love, were just as dull as the walls surrounding them. “We had what they call a breakthrough. You know, finally getting to the root cause of why we think, act, and speak the way we do. And it was humbling, to say the least…to realize that I hurt you in a way I never thought I was capable of.”

She chuckled breathlessly but nothing was funny. Her tongue circled her teeth, a nervous habit, as she fought to keep the tears at bay. Lewis’ eyes, prickling slowly, stayed on her.

“You left. And that hurt me. But you left because I hurt you. That hurt even more. And I am so sorry. You’ve been nothing but good to me and I let my own fears and insecurities cloud my judgment. I was so focused on not screwing up our friendship that I managed to do it anyway because I was neglecting how you’d feel, too.”

He listened intently. So, she continued, “You asked what I was scared of. I never gave you a clear answer, not because I didn’t know, but because I didn’t want to be honest with you. And simply put, the idea of not only loving another man but losing another man that I love scares me. You already know I was in that messed up situation where I was nothing more than a trophy and a warm body. I didn’t want to be that for any man again. I swore I would never be that for any man again.”

Lewis’ eyes softened and for the first time since they sat down, he spoke, “You know you’re much more than that.” His hand then found its way to her thigh, caressing it softly.

Anvika gave a closed-lipped smile. “And, um…I was upset because I had these strict boundaries, you know, no significant other means no type of intimate activity, right? I crossed that line with you and I beat myself up over it. In my head, I totally rejected this order I placed on myself and just felt internally guilty because at the time, I thought that was the beginning of experiencing heartache again. That manifested into a fear of ruining our friendship because we’d never crossed a line like that before. We went from friends to lovers in the span of 12 hours, and Lewis, that was a crazy shift.

“You always hear stories about people trying the relationship thing with their friends and they end up never speaking again. You mean too much to me for us to never speak again, so when I say I was miserable, that’s what I mean, especially because I put us in this position. None of this excuses what I did, but it was time to finally be honest. I’m sorry.”

Silence. She hated silence. Especially when it was uncomfortable. He still hadn’t said anything but she saw the wheels turning in his head. She watched as his eyes darted from left to right, a sign that he was running through a series of logical thoughts--a million a minute. She waited patiently for his response.

“I felt rejected,” he said softly. “Like I was good for that moment where you let loose but then after that…”

Anvika sighed heavily. The conversation was going deeper than she anticipated.

Lewis dropped his hand from her thigh and brought it to his face, rubbing softly. “When you care for someone all you want to do is be there for them. To be someone that gives them the love, honor, and respect they deserve. I’ve seen how these situations have broken you down and ruined your self-esteem and trust in men, and yet, deep down even while simply being a friend, all I wanted to do was love you and show you differently. So when that happened…what I thought was placed in my grasp was taken just as quickly as it was given. And I would think, is the thought of being with me that bad? That does something to a person, Ani.”

There was a strain in voice as he asked her what he’d been thinking for weeks. Her confessions gave more insight on why she acted the way she did, but just as she said, it didn’t change the fact that he was hurting. But, to lay his heart on the table the way he wanted with her awaiting ears was relieving. Maybe they would get somewhere.

“I know, darling, and I am sorry,” she said quickly between his words, but quickly retreated so he could continue. “Keep going…”

“I can’t make you love me the way I love you, I can’t make you mean it in the way that I do, and I can’t make you want something more with me,” he said truthfully though the thought pained him. “So if friends is what keeps you in my life then--”

“I want to try,” Anvika cut him off. His eyes cut to her. His heart began to pound in his chest. “I was told that your lover should be your friend. I’ve experienced you as my friend for six years and I’m starting to understand that it’s okay for those lines to blur, but I only want that with you. If you’ll still have me.” Though her words ceased, her eyes, filled with tears, pleaded with him. Lewis exhaled.

You, my love, are a gem.

At that moment, Anvika understood why people made love often. She wasn’t a very sexual person, opting for other forms of intimacy to deepen her relationship with her partner. But when it came to Lewis, she knew he would have her addicted and yearning for more.

He was so attentive to the needs of her body and gentle in executing them. He was patient, knowing he was the first man she’d been with in four years and that alone made her desire for him grow greater.

Each graze of his lips against her jaw, sensual caress of her chest, and deep thrust had her singing his name. It was the sweetest song he’d heard.

Lewis made love to her slowly, just as she requested.

“Can you go slow, please?” Her voice was hardly above a whisper.

“Whatever you want, baby.”

He was used to things moving fast, but he was willing to slow down as much as necessary. Plus, it gave him the opportunity to take in every face she made as he dug deep into her.

Anvika was pressed against him, her legs trembling around his waist as he guided her movements. Her head was thrown back as she succumbed to the pleasure she’d been without for so long. Her jaw hung as a string of profanities fell. Lewis couldn’t help but chuckle. “Feel good, baby?”

Anvika let out a breathy whine as her body grew warmer and warmer. The whine turned into a sharp gasp when Lewis’ tattooed hand slithered around her neck and squeezed. “Lewis.” His action made her jerk against him.

“I asked you a question, beloved,” he whispered against her jaw, peppering kisses along her damp skin.

Anvika nodded, “Yes! So good.” Lewis turned her head and brought his mouth to hers—a heated exchange of moans and passion transferred from one to another. “I love you.” The words fell from her lips as she reached her peak.

To be loved. Against her skin, he whispered back, “I love you.”

The water felt amazing against her skin as she stood beneath the rainfall-like water head. It soaked her once pressed hair, causing it to shrink and revert to its natural state. When Anvika wiped the water from her race, she saw Lewis staring at her, eyes full of love with hints of lust.

“What?” she asked innocently, welcoming the forthcoming feeling of his hands at her hips.

“You’re pretty,” he said simply. He swirled a strand of her hair around his finger and watched as it recoiled. Her big eyes followed his movement. “Very pretty.”

Anvika smiled like a school-girl who found out her crush liked her back. “You are, too.” She pecked his lips and prepared to turn toward the water again but was halted by Lewis pressing her against the wall, hiking her leg up, and capturing her lips in a soul-snatching kiss.

She whimpered and tossed her arms around his shoulders. His hand slid between them, his fingers dancing along her most sensitive place, working her up. “Can I?” His arousal nudged her thigh, desperate to get a release in her warmth.

“Yes…”

They ordered takeout and ate comfortably on her bed whilst Sex in the City played on the television in the background. They were bare as the day they were born, but it didn’t spark the same excitement as it did just hours before. It felt natural and domestic.

Anvika sat on his lap, eyes fixed on the television screen as he fed her their shared vegan pasta. The sounds of her heavy chewing made him laugh. “Is it good?” She hummed.

“You’re the only person that could convince me to eat vegan food.”

Lewis shrugged with a lazy smile, claiming for himself what she did not take off the fork. “Because I’m magical.”

Anvika giggled and nodded, pressing her lips against his. “You are, darling, and I love you because of it.”

Lewis wouldn’t get used to hearing that. What scared her before came so naturally in the moment and he was so thankful that it did. He finally got what he wanted and he’d never let her go.

He smiled and it finally reached his eyes, “I love you more.”

And it was so.

#saturnville #black!reader #black reader #original writing #lewis hamilton #lewis hamilton fanfic #lewis hamilton fanfiction #lewis hamilton x black reader #lewis hamilton x black!reader #lewis hamilton x reader #f1 x black!reader #f1 x reader #f1 fanfic #sir lewis hamilton #sir lewis hamilton x black!reader

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thisrobinisred · 1 month

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Spoilers ahead The kisaragi station AU’s ending really just felt like a reminder about Mitsuba and Kou’s inevitable ending. The fact that, no matter what they do, no matter what universe it is, they can never truly be together.

And we have seen this time and time again.

Starting from Mitsuba’s death.

Then they reunite, but Tsukasa intervenes.

And this affects Kou greatly, to the point where he feels like he can no longer fail when protecting people or making promises. Eventually they meet again,

But he’s no longer the Mitsuba Sousuke. Sure he looks and acts like him (and is made from a part of him), but he doesn’t have his memories or experiences. Kou is clearly shown to be practically heartbroken by this. Perhaps it’s because of this, that Mitsuba wants to know who he is properly, and to know his original past. Which eventually leads to the picture perfect arc. Where Mitsuba knows a bit about himself now, aswell as Kou. Through Mitsubas actions you can tell that he really does want to be friends with Kou. Yet they’re both aware that this is all fake. Mitsuba knows that who Kou really wants is the original one. However..

Kou was perfectly willing, happy even, to kill himself to be with Mitsuba - so that Mitsuba wasn’t alone anymore. But, Mitsuba doesn’t want this for Kou so in the end he intervenes. When they return to the real world, he still keeps an eye on Kou. To the point where during the summer sleepover he even goes to Kou to try and help him with his problems after overhearing the conversation between Yokoo and Satou.

But merely hours later, the severance occurs. Separating them once more. During this, Yashiro and Kou meet Mitsubas mother. It’s during this that Kou seems to finally process the fact that he is dead, and has been for a while now.

Seemingly out of nowhere, once supernaturals are able to return to their world, Mitsuba goes to Kou. Which is nice, but Mitsuba ends up asking Kou to exorcise him. Obviously, Kou refuses to, why would he even ask him that in the first place? Then everything with the clock keepers happen, causing them to make a new present.

But it’s different. Basically everyone who is dead, is alive. And for one of the first times, both mitsuba and Kou are alive, happy and close, without it being fake. In a timeline where everything is practically messed up for everyone else (especially their relationships and friendships) it isn’t for these two. Which is another reminder of why they will never be able to stay together. Everything that makes the original timeline the original, is what keeps them apart. So, just like mitsuba said in the kisaragi station AU,

‘I can’t follow you anymore.’ He is incapable of being able to join Kou.

They can never walk the same path forever, as one way or another, they’ll never get their happy ending together. Perhaps that’s why in this event Mitsuba wasn’t wearing either of his scarfs, as it doesn’t really matter which one he is for it will always end like this for the originals.

Sorry I’m not really good at wording things and I’ve never doing anything like this before-

#mitsukou #mitsuba x kou #mitsuba sousuke #kou minamoto #tbhk #jshk #toilet bound hanako kun #jibaku shounen hanako kun #i love my doomed yaoi #I love all the angst for these two #But at the same time part of me wants them to have a happy ending 😭#robin rambles

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honeydippedwaffles · 8 months

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Request: Our Intertwined Fates

Request Information: A set of possibly two or three parts surrounding one my mutual's favourite, non-companion characters in the game: Rolan. This in a look at how Rolan and Tav's relationship builds over the course of the story from a friendship to something more.

Tav is not referred to by name.

Content Warnings: She/Her Tav

Word Count: 2.1k words

╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

The scent of rust mingled awfully with the flowering bushes surrounding the grove. Something felt wrong about strolling into such a place with goblin blood still drying on her armour and the cling of an abduction over her shoulders.

She did so regardless, muscles strung tight from a battle nearly lost and an argument she could scarcely defuse. Who knew helping somebody out would cause such trouble.

“We’re off to a great start,” she said to nobody in particular. “Barely free of some wretched pod and already we’re wrapped up in another conflict.”

Her companions and her had crashed into this isolated area of coastline just the very morning they stumbled into this grove. How they’d managed to get themselves involved in whatever impossible argument was occurring between tieflings and druids escaped her understanding.

“This really isn’t our business,” she admitted to them when they looked at her. “But I suppose if we’re going there anyway, the least we can do is talk to the head druid? It won’t do any harm.”

She lied to herself like that sometimes.

If somebody asked her for help, she’d never been able to turn them down. Offering her assistance felt negligible in the grand scheme of things and this conflict really seemed to have a solution she could find. It would help also, to have the grove’s knowledge on her side.

Those excuses really didn’t feel genuine when the threat of a tadpole behind her eyes lingered.

Yet despite having it in mind, when she overheard an argument, she couldn’t help herself but stop to listen. The trio of tieflings sounded so irritated with one another as they fought about whether they should remain with the group or forge their own path to the city. A fight they’d clearly gone over before if the exasperation said anything.

“Don’t be ridiculous, we don’t even know these people. I’m not sticking my neck out for every person we come across. With my magic, we have nothing to fear about the path to Baldur’s Gate as long as we leave now.”

“Just because we don’t know them doesn’t mean we should abandon them here. What use are all our spells and blades if we don’t even use them to help people.”

She listened curiously, not planning on interjecting but also wondering about the goal of Baldur’s Gate. Some things unfortunately rarely changed and she couldn’t help but worry for this group. “Does Baldur’s Gate welcome tieflings at all?”

Her question directed itself at nobody in particular and yet, she must have spoken loud enough for them to hear as the three all turned to her with various expressions of disinterest or appreciation. She shifted uncomfortably beneath their gazes and smiled to show she hadn’t meant to get involved.

“More so than other cities,” one of the tieflings answered. “Perhaps they’ll stare but nobody will pull a blade out. It doesn’t really matter either way because I’ll be welcomed. You’re speaking to the recently accepted apprentice of the great wizard Lorroakan.”

Tall, haughty, and certainly pretty enough to be a wizard rather than a fighter, she could tell he had a great deal of trust in what he said.

Maybe even too much.

Lorroakan sounded familiar but she couldn’t place why it felt wrong. A wizard certainly but not one whose name carried very good rumours alongside it. She could share what she knew but to do so felt wrong and so she smiled.

“Congratulations,” she urged. “You must certainly be very talented to earn yourself such a grand apprenticeship.”

“I assure you, I am.”

“Then it sounds as though your help could be invaluable to these people who are blessed with neither magic nor fighting skill.” Her gaze drifted to where children and others attempted to spar with sloppily created training dummies. “Honestly, I believe they’ll need all the help they can get.”

He frowned; caught in the small trap she’d created through his own confidence. She felt a little bad for taking advantage of his arrogance but she hadn’t been lying when she commented on the tieflings.

They probably wouldn’t survive a day against the goblins.

“That’s what I’ve been saying. We have to stay and help.”

The wizard looked between her and the others before he threw his hands up in agitation. “Fine but if we end up rotting on a road because of this, it’ll all be your fault.”

He stormed off and she glanced awkwardly at the others. Perhaps she had overestimated their skills but she doubted their chances even more if they split from the group and tried to do it alone.

But if they died, the weight would never lift from her shoulders.

“Thank you for intervening. Rolan can get obnoxiously stubborn at times but he’s a good person. He’d have regretted choosing to leave later.”

She laughed awkwardly, unsure how to respond beyond offering her name as a means of introduction before hurrying off. They had so many problems to face, far more dangerous than even taking on a slew of unending goblins. Such a thing could wait until after the worm got removed.

One poisoning later and another child rescued and they took on the very task she’d tried to avoid, regardless of Astarion’s unimpressed complaints about it.

They ended up fighting through a, quite frankly, impossible number of goblins after rescuing a massive druid from the dungeons. Followed it with a battle against shadow druids who were disguising themselves as rats. And then still ended up standing exhausted at a party with the blood not fully washed from her hair.

As tired as she was, she couldn’t skulk away into her tent so early into the night. Everybody wanted to speak to her and she was now avoiding Lae’zel as best she could after the gith caught her off-guard with the strangest proposition she’d ever heard. Flattered, but uninterested, she looked around for help and eventually caught Lia’s eyes.

“What are we doing?” she asked.

“Rolan’s going to put on a show for us,” Lia told her, excited and a little teasing. She, like many of the others, appeared a little tipsy as she gestured to her brother. “Watch.”

“Patience,” Rolan chided. “You have no respect for showmanship.”

“Performance issues,” Cal whispered to her and she laughed behind a palm despite the wizard’s glare.

After all the near misses with fireballs through the day though… well, she really hoped whatever magic he wanted to use involved snow or water. Anything she didn’t have to dodge.

He surprised her pleasantly with neither and the small cascade of dancing lights lit up the sky in pretty shades of blue. She’d seen children do similar magic when first learning of their abilities and it never failed to make her smile.

“He can also make them purple,” Cal told her proudly.

She politely clapped and tried to keep her expression supportive of the tiefling trio. Rolan had skill enough to make something of himself in Baldur’s Gate… if his tutor held up to his expectations.

And, of course, the group had to get there first but she had faith. Zevlor, if nobody else, looked well equipped to shield his group from danger.

“You’ll do brilliantly with the proper training,” she complimented when she noticed Rolan’s gaze hover over her for a second longer. “You can ask Gale about some spare scrolls we found while exploring. They may come in use during your travels.”

Rolan straightened his spine beneath the praise, pleased with his successful show. “I have no need for scrolls but I thank you for the offer.”

She laughed and raised her glass to him. “If you say so. The offer still stands.”

She bid the three siblings good luck with their further travel and stepped away to clear her head, finally seeing an opportunity to seek peace and quiet. The shadows provided some solace as she made her way into the forest.

When she came across a small clearing, she settled on a log. It had been a long day filled with unending waves of enemies and her eyes felt heavier than ever.

She’d almost drifted off when she heard footsteps behind her. Footsteps, clumsy and unused to stalking through the dark. At least she knew it not to be an assassin, she imagined.

Although she’d expected Karlach or Gale rather than the tiefling she saw.

“Rolan?” she asked, confused as to why the wizard had followed her and now hovered uncomfortably at the edge of the clearing.

“Lia made a very good point,” he said, straightening imaginary creases from his robes as he spoke. “Scrolls could be useful if we get into a situation where my magic is lacking.”

She frowned for a second before she remembered her offer and waved back at the party with a smile. “Oh, right. Those are with Gale or one of the others. I don’t know what spells they have but any magic is useful, right?”

“Obviously but they’re mainly for Lia’s peace of mind. I don’t think we’ll have any problems when I have my thunderwave to handle threats.”

She smiled. “I’m sure. Make certain to aim for the nearest cliff.”

A wince followed as she remembered shoving a goblin from one of the rafters earlier in the day. She hadn’t appreciated the crunch of bones or the smear of blood… she hadn’t cleared out a goblin camp before the day and it really didn’t suit her.

“With any hope, you’ll have no need of spells at all,” she said. “I think the path to Baldur’s Gate should be open.”

“If it wasn’t, I don’t think they’d be singing your praises so highly,” he scoffed.

He took a few seconds to place the strange jealousy in his voice as not related to handling the goblin camp but rather the heroism of it. Strange, she’d never thought of a battle as something to be envious of. She certainly left with a great deal of pain in her ribs to show for it and little else.

“Something wrong?” she asked, fixing him with a soft gaze.

Rolan shrugged but she noticed the way his tail flicked, irritated, back and forth. He watched everything besides herself, not truly meeting her eyes as he gazed around the clearing.

“Nothing,” he said. “I’m just hoping you haven’t given my siblings any ridiculous notions about going off and being a hero. They’re not the type to walk through a goblin camp with no problem.”

She smiled, understanding his concerns. “I’m sure they’ll be fine. It’s not about being a hero, it’s about giving help where it’s needed and… I suppose it was selfish too. I needed a healer and Halsin was my only option.”

“A healer?” he repeated, gaze lingering over her bruises. “Did he manage to fix whatever’s wrong with you?”

Her heart thudded a little and her stomach sank. He hadn’t been able to do anything for her. Halsin pointed her in a direction and promised to help but he couldn’t remove the tadpole from her head. Every day, she ended up closer than ever to becoming a creature from her worst nightmares and she could do nothing.

Honestly, it may have contributed more to her mood surrounding the party than the actual exhaustion had.

“No, then?” Rolan asked.

She shook her head and tried to shake free of the worries. “Unfortunately, my condition goes a bit beyond his talents but he did give me a way forward. We’re heading toward Moonrise Towers to look for answers.”

‘You don’t sound confident.”

“It’s hard to be sometimes,” she admitted. “But I don’t really have much of a choice in what I do next.”

He coughed, a little awkward as he shifted his weight from side to side. “Well, I mean you’re clearly more than capable of handling things. I’m sure getting to wherever will be easy enough for your little group of heroes.”

She laughed at the unexpected and strange praise. “Thank you, Rolan.”

He nodded and seemed about to turn around and leave so she stood and the movement momentarily froze him. She leaned forward and pressed a small kiss to cheek in thanks.

“You’re going to do great with your studies,” she said. “I’ll be sure to brag to everyone I know once your name becomes renowned.”

Somebody once told her tieflings couldn’t blush but she swore she saw colour darken the tops of his cheeks even in the dim light of the forest.

Taglist: @miwn8

#baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate iii #rolan bg3 #bg3 rolan #rolan x tav #rolan/tav

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inkelea · 9 months

Text

𓏲 ༘⋆ ࣪𓇼 SECRETS OF THE OCEAN!

pairing: landboy!bang chan x mermaid!fem!reader

synopsis: after chan navigates through the ocean he finds himself in an unknown island, so empty it gives anyone on there a sense of loneliness and sorrow. however, this feeling doesn’t last long, since he’s quickly immersed in the life’s of a mermaid and a siren.

genre: fluff, comedy, strangers to lovers (not really), mermaid au, angst, hurt/comfort, pining, impossible love, different worlds.

warnings: bad parents, talk of loneliness, friendship plays a big role in the story, seungmin is a menace, there’s a big amount of backstory, mermaids and sirens are not the same thing, y/n is described with hair (no specific length), curly hair chan appreciation!!

word count: 8.5k

a/n: this took almost two months to be done, but it’s finally here! honestly I thought I was gonna leave it halfway, everyone thank cinny for giving me the strength to finish this tbh. I even made a playlist for the story in which the songs match with the events that occur in the fic. you obviously don’t need to listen to it while reading it but I think it could be fun. if you’re a fast/slow reader… oops, but still. enjoy the reading! ik i had fun writing it:)

The ocean moves alongside the flow of the wind, making all the ocean life direct themselves to the north. It's a cloudy night with the full moon shining its brightest at the very top of the sky. Due to the almost impossible task to make anything out of the mist to the human eye, Seungmin surprises himself at the sight of a boy riding in a rather small boat.

He seems happy. Excited, would be a better word. It was like he didn’t even realize the gravity of the situation he somehow was in. The siren didn’t have to check twice to realize the boy, who seemed to be in his first adult years, wouldn’t survive the whole night out in the hell of earth.

Still, it was good entertainment for him and his only company in the vast world that was called ocean.

He focuses his eyes in the water, praying to every deity he was ever taught about in school that he could find his best friend in the whole place that they called home. Soon enough, the silhouette of a mermaid hunting after a crab that was way too big for her to eat alone, came into view. Such a greedy bastard, in his opinion.

After some minutes you’ve finally come up from your diving, showing excitedly to your friend the 1:00 am snack you just found.

“Look at this Min! It’s a dungeness crab!” you yell. Grabbing the crab with both hands and putting it in front of Seungmin’s face, you continue, “Bigger than their usually size for some unknown reason… isn’t it amazing?”

The contagious smile in your face fades away quite quickly when he takes the crustacean out of your hands and pulls you with him behind the stack he was hiding himself with. When he’s got your attention, he goes as far as putting his arms all the way at the top of the rock and putting all his weight in the cold and rough landform.

“If you’re that hungry maybe he should be your next victim.”

You follow his eyes until you spot a boat in the middle of the ocean. You rub your eyes just in case you’ve seen that wrong. No, totally right, there’s a deranged boy in a tiny boat in the middle of the ocean, way past midnight.

“Do you think he has a suicide wish?” you ask, resting your head in the stack.

“Nah, it looks like he’s just dumb.”

You cackle at your friends’ words, but your laughs quickly end when you see him eating your well earned snack. “Hey! You gluttonous blobfish look-alike!” You puff out your cheeks and pounce on top of him, creating a big splash sound. “Give me back my food!”

With a staffed mouth and tired eyes, Seungmin uses his free hand to cover your mouth. “Stop. I think he heard us.”

“Don’t change the topic! He hasn’t! And if so, why does it matter? It’s not like his weak human eyes can see anything with all this fog.”

Contrary to your beliefs, the boy, just as Seungmin said, did hear you. He gets up inside the boat and looks around until he reaches your position. Yes, it might be true he couldn’t see much with the fog, but when the full moonlight is reflecting on you so beautifully, he finds it easy to distinguish the two people looking at him.

His reckless attitude might not have been scary enough to startle you, however, the second his small rectangular object is focusing on the stack you are hiding behind, the fear starts to kick in.

It hasn’t even passed five seconds when you both have submerged in the water. Seungmin still has the half-eaten crab on his hand and you force yourself to not scream at him then and there. He has a quite pained expression on, like he regrets ever saying anything about the human boy being there.

Time passes slowly and quietly. Seungmin, who keeps denying sharing the crab, has gone up leaving you behind. From your position you can see part of the boat and how it’s going in your direction. Almost like a hunter going after their prey.

You lock eyes with Seungmin while remaining in your position. This has never happened before, but you know exactly what to do. He nods his head and starts swimming, quickly having reached the boat. You cover your ears the moment he starts singing, the boy’s eyes adapt a white color and his boat changes directions. It isn’t necessary, but you dive in and hit your tail against the water, the sudden wave making the boat move faster.

Soon enough the boat is on the closest island. Which was casually famous for how many sailors shipwrecked there.

You waste no time to reach the land, making sure the boy is asleep.

“We can't leave him here,” you say without taking your eyes off of him.

“Why not? your pod always did it like this. It’s not our fault he’s out of his mind.” He throws a bunch of seaweed at the boy and sits down. “Always the stupid land people…”

You roll your eyes at your friend’s antics, picking up the plant and throwing it at him. “He looks young. Every young person is stupid. Still, he surely has a family, we just can’t.”

The object in his hands is quickly taken away by you, wanting to see it more closely.

“This is the thing the elders were always so scared of. Seems not that interesting if I’m being honest.”

“You even know how that works?” Seungmin looks strangely interested in the object.

The way you throw it at the sand gives him every answer he needs. Stretching his arm to reach the object without getting out of the water he picks it up, still curious.

“It has to be something really bad. I wasn't even part of the pod and I still frighten every time I see one of these.”

Meanwhile he keeps examining the thing which you quickly learn is called a camera, it said so in the back. You focus on the boy. He has straight black hair and black painted nails. Definitely not the usual look of the typical men you see on ships around your home. He looks at peace, like the induced sleep was everything he needed to be happy. Your hand pushes away the hair out of his eyes, but you regret it when he stirs in his sleep. Thankfully, he doesn’t wake up.

A sudden flash takes you out of your trance and you quickly turn to the other side. Seungmin is holding the camera in your direction, with an open mouth and even bigger eyes.

You frown your eyebrows and wait for an explanation, but when he shows your reflection in the tiny little object, you almost choke in your saliva.

“Why am I in there?!” you shriek a bit too distressed.

He, however, just starts laughing. His sight stays on the camera and the rest of the people that are in it. With one last look at the sleeping boy he goes underwater still laughing. Still too anguished to even remember the existence of the boy, you go after Seungmin, wanting to know more about the new object in your possession.

Waking up alone on an island at what seemed very early hours of the morning wasn’t common for Chan. In fact, he didn’t think it was common for anyone.

Rubbing his eyes as he gets up, he starts to panic. The reality of the situation he’s in starting to sink in. He's on an island, alone. At least he still has his phone.

The small screen marks 6:37 am and Chan is about to rip all of his hair off.

Was it a bad idea to travel the ocean alone at night? Yes, but he didn’t think he would blackout only one hour after parting and wake up on what seemed like an undiscovered island. It looked completely deserted. The lack of trees made it seem like a hurricane had come over and destroyed everything.

It doesn't pass long when Chan starts to feel the loneliness that characterizes the place. This only worsens when he realizes his camera is gone, all his memories with it.

He tries to look at the problem from an optimistic view, like he always does, but it’s quite difficult at the moment. He throws himself backwards falling on the sand, trying to remember what had happened last night for him to feel like he was hungover.

When he’s about to fall asleep again he hears giggles. Loud ones. Sitting up he’s able to distinguish two heads coming out from the water. A girl and a boy. She's laughing so hard Chan thinks she might be left without oxygen. He's frowning so hard that Chan thinks he might lose his eyebrows. And everything is wholesome until he sees his camera in the girl’s hands.

“Hey, you! Is that my camera?” Chan asks, perplexed and annoyed.

if you had turned your head any faster your neck would have probably broken. A hundred and more curse words start to pop up in your head, you had completely forgotten about the boy’s existence. However, you don’t have too much more time to look at him because Seungmin pulls your hand underwater with him.

It might have been the dazed state he was in, but he jumps into the water the moment you disappear. He wants to be angry, but right after seeing two tails swimming, his mind breaks into tiny pieces. He stays there, floating, seeing you swim until you suddenly stop.

Your eyes are shining, and not in a figurative way. A very sparkly neon blue has taken over your iris, making him feel immediately curious about you.

Seungmin pulls and pulls, but you stay still. The boy’s unfocused eyes roam your face and yours roam his clothes, knowing he will regret wearing them the moment he starts swimming. Your hand tightens around his camera, it isn’t fair. Nothing of what you did to him is.

Finally you break free from Seungmin’s grip and swim to the boy. He starts to look fidgety, almost shy, but you don’t pay attention to it. When you have finally reached him, he has gone to the surface, unable to hold his breath any longer.

The moment you follow him to the surface Seungmin rolls his eyes. “Stupid love-struck mermaids and they’re dumb land boys.”

Your eyes go back to normal and an awkward smile covers your face. He, however, seems to have fallen out of his trance, adopting now a terrified expression.

“I’m sorry.”

They are simple, yet powerful words. You hand him the camera, but he seems reluctant to even the mere thought of touching you.

“Are you gonna kill me?” he says with puppy eyes and water from his hair dripping all over his face.

You bite your lip in order to stop the laughs that are threatening to get out. Taking his wrist you put his palm faced upwards, and then leave the camera on it. Lastly, you close his hand over the object, his eyes not leaving yours.

“You'd be dead already if I wanted to kill you.”

He gulps and looks down at his camera. He should get out of here right at this exact moment, but he can’t.

With shaky hands he opens up the camera gallery, only to be met with multiple photos of you and the boy who you were previously with. There’s zoomed photos of the scales in your tail, photos of you eating what seemed to be a lobster, and more of the same. The last one was a photo of your friend asleep in a destroyed ship. It made a smile creep up on his face.

Your webbed hand circling firmly around his wrist takes him back to earth. Your unusually long nails brush against the start of his palm and he feels the need to examine the scales scattered around your hand. It's then when he, once again, remembers a girl with a tail is in front of him. A mermaid stole from him and all he is doing is adoring her features. But mermaids don’t exist, right?

Your name comes out as a whisper and it makes his wandering eyes stay still. His breath gets caught up in his throat and he is suddenly super aware of his surroundings. Hearing you talk feels like honey dripping.

“I'm Chan,” he whispers back, too afraid to break the soothing atmosphere that formed around you.

Much to Chan's dismay, every bubble has to explode at some point. In this case, it breaks the moment neon green eyes appear in between you and him.

Chan jumps scared and flinches. He is quick to pick out your rolling eyes and the small smack you give the boy. The situation is quite comedic, but the green eyes torturing him make him stay as motionless as a doll.

You, not as entertained and not even a bit horrified by Seugmin’s actions, take him by the hair and pull. He shrieks immediately of course, his whole ‘evil siren act’ going away with the wind.

“Are you trying to kill me or what?!” He is holding his head and trying to look at you as scary as he can.

Now you’re entertained.

“Don’t mind Seungmin, he wasn’t fed enough sardines when he was born.”

Chan is… speechless. He doesn't know if it’s his survival instincts, or just the fact that he is completely terrified, but he starts swimming your opposite way. However, just as you predicted, he starts regretting wearing clothes when they slow him down more and more every second.

His sort of escape plan is doomed when Seungmin appears in front of him, his hands squeezing Chan's shoulders. Slowly, he starts making Chan retrocede, until your hands replace Seungmin’s.

Chan doesn’t dare to turn, he is sure he would break right after seeing your face. And yet, what you do is a hundred times worse.

“Are you dumb or just intimidated?”

Your breath hits his nape and your hands pass to be intertwined over his chest. Trying to distract himself with fear is no longer possible as Seungmin has gone underwater. All that is left for Chan are your whispers and hair tickling him.

You sigh, satisfied with having Chan's attention back to you, even if he wasn’t directly looking at you. Turning him around, you smile. His eyes are as big as the ones of a celestial eye goldfish and his Adam's apple goes up and down every second. It's cute. He is cute.

Intertwining his hand with yours, you pull. The sudden movement makes him dizzy, not expecting that much strength.

Soon enough you’re back at the island he shipwrecked on. He immediately sits down and takes a big breath. You once again, smile. Meeting a land boy for the first time was in no way as horrible as your elders used to tell you. It was in some way… comforting.

While he takes an apple from the fruits he had saved in his boat, you slowly dive into the water. This only lasts so little as you hear his screams.

“Are you gonna leave just like that?”

You bite your lip and resurface just as much so your eyes are visible. Looking one last time at him you wink, leaving him as perplexed as before, and even more curious.

“I can’t believe you left him just like that,'' Seungmin says as he helps you clean the multiple lobsters from his lying position. “I’m proud of you.”

You smile, something inevitable every time you are with Seungmin. Which is mostly every day, every month, every year.

Most would think that spending so much time with one person and only that one person could get tiring, infuriating even. Nevertheless, that isn’t the case.

At the end of the day, he is the only person who hasn’t left you. Seungmin is a brother, an annoying one, but still one. A mermaid and a siren, who not only endure each other’s company, but enjoy it. This is why his opinions are very important to you, but you really are disliking his latest one.

“Honestly we should just leave him there to riot. He’s a human boy who looks rather young and the only thing worse than an old mad sailor is a young stupid adventurer.” He is slowly getting up from the old couch of the abandoned ship you have your home on, like he wasn’t just talking of leaving an innocent boy alone to die. “We can’t trust that idiot, we’ll be being tested on in seconds.”

You shut your eyes for a second. He is so… intense. It would be ironic to say he is just like the conservative elders, but to you, right now it feels like he is. He can’t accept things changing, you get it, but that doesn’t stop you from getting angry because of it.

And the worst thing is that you can’t even give him the benefit of the doubt, think that he might be right, because he won’t. All it took was a look at Chan to see how harmless he was.

Hitting the table with the lobster shell makes him take his eyes away from the one he was cleaning himself. He has his confused face on and his hands have stopped working.

“Why are you so mean?”

“What? you were the one who left him stranded there. Which was, by the way, the best thing you could’ve done.”

You puff out your cheeks and press your nails to the table, multiple cracks start to be audible. “I wasn't planning on leaving him there forever.”

“So what, you wanna invite him over? See how he slowly dies after the oxygen leaves his system?” Seungmin hissed, visibly annoyed with the conversation.

Getting up from your seat, you throw the rest of the lobster and let it fall wherever. You can hear Seungmin’s screams as you leave the ship, but you ignore them.

Saying you’re angry wouldn’t be enough, you are furious. Hopefully Chan’s shy smile would be able to lift your mood.

You swim slowly at the very bottom of the ocean, pressure so high it would kill any human who dared to visit it. Yet, you thrive in it. A family of pseudoliparis appears in your path, bringing a smile to your face.

The feeling of being able to meet these deep-ocean species, knowing they live isolated

from the rest of the creatures the humans associate with the ocean, makes you feel lucky. You know they would be hated if land people knew of them, just because they aren’t as pretty as a seahorse, or as friendly as a tetras. They’re survivors, and that’s all that’s important when you live in the ocean.

After bidding your goodbyes you keep going. Some minutes in you find yourself surrounded by fish, since you have run into what could easily be hundreds of carcasses. Letting them pass, you change directions, however, you’re not ready for what you find.

Multiple aquamarine gems are in front of you. Each bigger than the one you saw before it. A vast variety of greens and blues that take the spotlight. When you go to take one of the bigger ones your eyes start to prick, salty tears rolling down your face.

“I just don’t understand you! I thought I raised you correctly, making clear what is okay and what isn’t!”

Your hands tremble and your head is downcasted, facing the aquamarine all around your bedroom floor.

“Do you even know what this means?” She sighs and passes her hand through her hair. Her eye bags are more prevalent than ever and it seems like even talking about this makes her suffer. “They’re going to kick you out.”

You start sobbing uncontrollably, the seriousness of the situation setting in. Being kicked out of the pod, a mermaid’s worst nightmare.

You beg, plead for forgiveness, but she only says that she can’t do anything. You cry and cry and cry and your tears start becoming recognisable puddles in the water. You feel like dying.

“Help! Please help!”

Cries for help get you back from your memories and makes you turn your head faster than a sailfish. It all happens too fast, the only thing that is keeping you alert is the fact that the screams sound a bit too much like Chan’s voice.

That's the moment you start thinking Seungmin might be right. Chan is at the end of the day, a human. He's a prey in the water, just like a newborn.

When you find him he is already unconscious. He looks at peace, but you know he probably has just lived one of the worst experiences of his life.

He still has a pulse, which calms you slightly but doesn’t make you swim slower when you are bringing him to the island.

Your hand makes it to his forehead, confirming he has a fever. His hand tightly holds his camera, and you can only question what he was even thinking of doing.

It feels like the sun starts shining brighter when Chan starts coughing water and blinking rapidly. His arms start to move around until he finds your hands, intertwining them with his almost immediately.

“Are you okay?” Your words come out before you can stop them, making you want to give yourself as food to the sharks.

He opens one eye and looks at you while lying. He laughs, and it’s a weird moment since he was just floating unconscious underwater. However, you enjoy it. It makes you remember why you even went out looking for him in the first place.

He is easy to be around, comforting.

“I mean, I almost died in the most painful way possible so…” His smile stays on, but his laughs have stopped.

Looking at him, you realize he seems different, like seeing you preoccupied for him gave him a confident boost. Made him look like he was teasing you.

“The most painful way to die? what about burning alive?”

“Nah, drowning would not only kill me but also my ego, totally worse.”

For the first time of the day you laugh. Your laugh resonates around the whole island, so intense that you need to cover your mouth to stop it.

Meanwhile all this happens, he sits up. His eyes can’t not travel to yours with your laugh filling his ears. Being able to focus in your hands like this, while intertwined with his, makes him smile a bit harder. Your hands are cold and not wrinkled as expected from someone who lives in the water, but soft and full of scales. He had already had an opportunity to observe them, but seeing them like this, it was another level.

He’s amazed by them, that is, of course, until he realizes your red eyes and tear-stained cheeks.

His hands pull on yours to get your attention, extremely aware of your distressed appearance now. “Hey, did something happen?”

His eyebrows are furrowed and his mouth is slightly open. He still is breathing loudly, his chest going up and down with each breath.

He is cross-legged and you are resting your forearms on the shore. His index finger taps rhythmically in the dorsum of your hand, like he is distracting himself from something. In some way he is, he’s trying to distract himself from the fact that you have been quiet for minutes now.

When you realize this, you finally speak. “Oh no, I just remembered some things.”

Chan tilts his head and his index finger stops. His hand leaves yours and starts touching the multiple shells decorating your hair. It almost feels like he knows exactly what to do to leave you speechless.

“You’re a bad liar.” His hand stops touching your hair and it goes to support his head.

“I'm not about to tell a stranded human boy my problems.”

“Why not? Just because I am a human doesn’t mean I don't know how to give advice. Quite the opposite actually.”

You sigh and look at the sand. You can feel Chan's eyes still on you, examining every scale that is scattered around your neck and down your body. You shouldn’t, he is a stranger and from a different world, but when you look at him again and his eyes hold the most comforting look in them, you can’t resist telling him everything.

The waters around your house are quiet when you bring Seungmin into your bedroom. It’s the first time he has been here, mainly because he shouldn’t be. In fact, even him just being around you is a crime you should have never committed, but there was nothing to do about it now.

If it wasn’t completely necessary you wouldn’t have brought him here, however, you couldn’t just leave him in the middle of nowhere to wait for you to come back when he had fishing gear all around his tail.

Sitting him down in your bed you go to take your crusher claw from your night table. His whimpers make you bite your tongue and try to get the gear out of him as fast as possible. When you finally do, multiple wounds can be seen all around his tail. He has tears in his eyes and his hands tightly grasp onto your bed.

Taking small pieces of seaweed you put them on top of his wounds to stop the bleeding. He has another cut under his right eye, so you put a piece there too. You pull him in for a hug, he hasn’t talked at all since you found him, but you can tell he enjoys the warmth when he tightens the embrace.

It's safe to say you have never seen Seungmin like this before. He has puffy eyes and he is trembling. Head down, avoiding making eye contact with you. You don’t force him, knowing how difficult bumping into sailors can be.

You have forgotten about the pass of time, having been rubbing circles on Seungmin’s back for the last hour, completely ignoring the place you found yourself in. The waters had a darker tone now, going from crystal water to a grayish color. Today was destined to be the day your life’s get destroyed.

Your door opens and when you have realized it’s too late. Your mom is at the door, frozen in her place. Her eyes don’t leave Seungmin’s body and suddenly your breathing starts to get heavier.

The green that decorates every single one of his scales leaves his true nature revealed to everyone to see. Your mom’s eyes are filled with fear, an emotion you aren’t used to seeing in them.

Tension clings onto the room, the three of you looking at each other with agitation in your faces. Much to your dismay, your father is the next person who enters your bedroom.

Unlike in your mother, all you can see in his eyes is anger.

“Out,” he says as his gaze doesn’t leave Seungmin’s for a second.

You see your friend get up off your bed and get out by the window he entered from in the first place. His swimming is slow and floppy like the one of a hatchling, but you’re glad he is able to move again already.

You lock eyes with your mother. Your father has left the room after slapping the door closed, and you know there is no way you are getting out of this one.

She comes close to you, pushing your head to her chest. Tears have started flowing through her face, going down her cheeks and ending on her neck.

It’s quiet for a second, her hands resting on your shoulders. She stays like that for some time, you lose track of time, not knowing if minutes or hours have passed. No one prepares you for what your mother tells you next.

A week later.

The whole pod stands around you in the center of the city. A statue of Amphitrite stands behind you, her eyes made of stone burning holes in your head.

Over your shoulders hangs a big shell necklace, the one the crime committee always puts in the kids that break the rules. The one the kids that are kicked out always wear.

The elders whisper while tears spill out of your eyes. You’re the reason for the trial, and still, you’re invisible to them. They judge, point, some even laugh.

When your father takes a step forward everyone shuts up, everyone waiting for the king’s second in charge to talk.

“The king will be here in short, until then I ask everyone to keep it calm.”

Your heart sinks when he doesn’t look at you, realizing you have disappointed your family.

You don’t have to wait too long for the king to arrive, but time’s relative, so you’re sure you have been standing in front of Amphitrite for years.

When he stands in front of you, all the oxygen in your system leaves your lungs. His lips curl into a grimace, his left eyebrow going up. He looks you up and down, making you feel smaller than any of the elders’ whispers ever did.

“This is her? the one who brought a siren into my realm?”

Your gaze meets your father’s for a second, but he quickly moves to look at the king’s back. “Yes majesty.”

Before even a second passes the king’s nails are dunked in your cheeks. His hand pushes your head upwards making you look him straight in the eyes.

“How dare you dirty this heaven with the presence of that monstrous creature.” His fingers harden around your chin, breathing becoming harder by the second. “It’s always the kids who don’t know how to follow the rules.”

Harshly dropping your face, he steps back. His hands go through his hair pushing it back. He is one of the most merciless men you have ever seen, and he is about to decide the future of your life.

Your father hands him the ceremonial stone. The official document where every single citizen of the realm is noted when they are born. The king touches your engraved name, almost like he is thinking about his next move. You know better, you know your fate has been decided for days now.

With a snap of his fingers the water makes pressure until your name is crossed. A single tear comes out from your eye.

“This girl has let us all down, bringing the enemy to our homes. She must leave the pod.” He elevates his arm when people start talking again. “However, she will not be the one going away.”

Your head is blank and your attention in the trial disappeared when you started to sob again, but you still manage to listen to their gasps.

“We are not safe here anymore. It's only about time that the sirens come here. We will head off to the north, where an old realm is. You, little girl, will stay with your best friends, the sirens.”

You can’t believe what reaches your ears. They are leaving, leaving the whole realm behind like it was nothing. Leaving you.

You fall to the floor, the rusty shackles around your hands colliding against it. “Please! I’ll do whatever!”

“It’s decided, kid.”

Sobs were the only thing heard that night by anyone close to the plaza. As the condemned mermaid refused to get back to her house and fell asleep crying.

The day after.

Motion covers the plaza as people go back and forth with all of their belongings. Hushed whispers are heard, mainly discussing the situation of the girl sleeping against Amphitrite’s statue.

Neon green eyes observe everything from afar. His best friend, lying on the ground like a rag doll. Not caring about the shocked looks he receives, he picks you up just like you did when he was hurt. At the end of the day, this was siren territory now, right? He could do anything he wanted.

After some time you start to move against the old blanket he had put over you. One of the various things the old ship where he stayed at had. You weren’t too far away from the realm, close enough to see everyone starting to meet in a circle.

You rub your eyes with your knuckles and start getting up. All of the crying made your eyes puffy, making it difficult to see now. And even so, you are able to catch a glimpse of your family. Your mother doesn’t look better than you. Your father stays with the king, like his job is the only thing that matters. Not his abandoned daughter, not his anxious wife.

When everyone is together and about to leave, you choke out a sob. Left hand in your mouth and the other one holding the shackles Seungmin took off of you.

His hand goes up and down over your back, in such a similar way you did days ago that it gives you déjà vu. You cry until everyone leaves, holding onto the only person who didn’t disappear from your life in just seconds.

Seungmin removes the single tear falling from his left eye and turns to give you privacy. You don’t know he is there, but he feels like he shouldn’t pry. Not when you have just told a land boy the most painful time of your life, not when he is hugging you so tight you might break.

He sits on a stack and waits. He didn’t like to remember, especially not those days. The day not only his but also your life was ruined was something he tended to put in the back of his mind and pray so nothing reminded him of it. Each day was harder, contrary to what most people said. He guesses that’s the reason why he started tearing up when you started telling the story.

You are laughing, and he doesn’t know why, but he is happy the stupid human made you laugh. The moment he has been waiting for finally comes when you say goodbye and go underwater, almost like a luring siren after hunting a prey. However, you are just a loving mermaid.

Going after you, he catches you almost immediately. He has always been the fastest one.

You are wary, the memories putting you on alert. Seeing the boy’s face is definitely a surprise, or at least that’s what he takes from your slightly ajar mouth and fast blinking.

He offers you the lobster in his hand. A good memory. An old tradition, if you will.

You smile, without showing your teeth, but smile. When you accept the gift Seungmin lets out a relieved sigh. You take a bite and so does he. A weird conciliation for others, but normal for you.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said all those horrible things about the human. I don’t know him, so I shouldn’t assume.”

You redirect your gaze, looking at the fish around you. “I’m sorry too. I shouldn't have exploded like that, I know how much you’ve suffered because of humans.” You look up and let out a laugh, not believing what you’re about to say. “I also don’t really know him, he could be a super good liar who happens to be a mad scientist who’s going to sacrifice me.”

“That boy? He passes as a scientist as much as I pass as a dolphin.”

You laugh, lobster being eaten quickly while you de-stress.

“I wouldn’t call him a boy, he’s a grown up.”

“Oh so you’ve already asked for his personal data huh. What’s next, asking him to co-parent a seahorse with you?” Seungmin takes the last part of the lobster while you put on an offended expression while he laughs.

“I don’t do those kinds of things!”

“What about seventh grade? Didn’t you—”

You jump out of your place in the stack you settled on and cover his mouth with your hand. He licks your palm and you retract disgusted. You shake your hand up and down while sending daggers at him.

“I didn’t tell you that just so you would make fun of me for it!”

“Rookie mistake,” he says with a smirk on his face.

Swiftly enough you’re back at your ship, both of you lying in the old couch where hundreds of humans (and mermaids) had lied in the past. It’s too tiny for the both of you, your tails are colliding and Seungmin is about to fall any second now, but neither of you seems to mind.

“So… that human?”

His words roll out of his tongue like nothing else had before. He has got that knowing look on his face, making it impossible for you to even try to lie to him.

“He’s cute,” you say trying to sound nonchalant, feeling the complete opposite.

Embarrassed was all you felt at the moment. A rather disoriented land boy was making you feel something you hadn’t felt in a long time. Ease.

Seungmin smiles. No, he smirks, tongue going over his lips and arms under his head. These gestures indicate he is about to make fun of something. In this case, of you.

“At least it isn’t one of those old sweaty sailors, not even my ancestors would’ve eaten them.”

You groan, hands covering your face due to the growing embarrassment. He lets out a laugh, clearly enjoying your suffering. Your hands move quickly and a sudden wave has pushed him out of the couch, making him hit the deck rather strongly. You’re the one laughing now.

“Rude!”

He throws a pillow that had fallen before, hitting you in the face. You gasp, ready to make him regret ever starting this war. When you are about to strangle him he holds your wrists in the air.

“Easy there! Do you think the land boy is gonna want to kiss a murderer?” Seungmin teases with his neon green eyes shining.

“You’re so dead, Kim Seungmin!”

If your father could see you right now, you would probably be punished for life. Hands intertwined with the ones of a land boy, pushing and guiding him through the ocean.

If your father was here, you would be hiding and stressed, but he isn’t, so you grab Chan’s face and scream at him how fun this is. His laugh reaches your ears, eyes closing as the breeze hits your face.

Your hands over your hair, feeling the water drenching it. Chan has been on the island for five days now, surviving with fruits and fish you and Seungmin (him being forced by you), have hunted and heated for him.

It’s about to be midnight, and Chan has convinced you to take him with you in your nightly swim.

Your back is facing him and he can’t stop himself from worshiping your silhouette. He had tried to go back to his senses, trying to convince himself that his fixation on you was just your mermaid charms. He quickly rejected that idea when you explained the ones with the alluring charms were the sirens, not your kind. He still thinks you casted a love spell on him anyways, because the thoughts he has about you aren’t normal for someone he had only met five days ago.

Neon blue eyes meet his, any coherent thought leaving his mind. Your arms circle around his neck, hands combining behind it.

“So, you’re aware you really can’t come with me, right?”

Your words shake some sense into him. Of course, you can breathe underwater, he cannot. He would die in minutes if he was to go with you.

He pouts, hands finding your shoulders and gripping tightly. “Don’t you have some old diving equipment in that ship of yours?”

You laugh and push him off you. Humans and their crazy beliefs. You still laugh every time you remember the time he asked you if you lived in Atlantis. The single thought of him being able to dive with you was insane. Right?

Underwater school was very different from what you knew about the schools land people attended. Yes, in both institutions history was taught, but aside from that, they weren’t much alike. Apart from History, your classes consisted of: Swimming; Spell Casting; Powers; Herbology and Marine Zoology. Spell Casting was never one of your best subjects, however, you did remember an old tale your teacher told the class once.

Your hands hold onto the boy’s forearms wanting his whole attention. It doesn’t take long until you have it. It’s starting to be cold, shivers run through his body but his eyes don’t leave yours.

Silence surrounds you, the moonlight shining over you like the night you first met. The moment is confidential, intimate if you will. Chan can only feel his whole body burning up when you close off the distance, your lips at the shell of his ear.

“I’m going to do something, and I need you to be calm.” Your nose rests over his cheekbone, nails almost craving your mark on him. When he is about to talk, you get ahead. “Do you trust me?”

Saliva gets stuck in his throat, any attempt at talking gone in vain. His brain says no, pleading for Chan to realize he is in front of a mythical creature that could kill him in seconds, but his heart says otherwise. He nods, hoping, praying, it’s enough of an answer for you.

Neon blue eyes shine before they’re closing and your lips are stealing a kiss from him. It’s short and fast, lips colliding and separating under three seconds. Pulling backwards you leave him wanting for more, needing to feel your lips on his again. A rapid action that he couldn’t quite wait to repeat.

Yet, before he can execute any of his desires, your hands around his forearms are pulling and water hits your vision like Chan had never experienced before. Fish swim around you, not in any way trying to harm you but rather welcoming you to their homes, leaving the human in awe. He finds himself mesmerized by the marine wildlife, not even realizing his newfound ability of breathing underwater.

Your hands have left his arms, leaving him swimming behind you. Slowing down, you stop, waiting for him to reach you. When he does, you don’t think he is going to be able to say anything about any of the million thoughts that surely are going through his mind at the moment.

When everything is new, and terrifying, Chan hugs you. It’s tight, like he had been waiting for this moment for his whole life. Various families of sea stars stop their journey to wait and see the moment.

He gets out of the embrace and smiles. He is fast, not as fast as you, but faster than most humans. It feels like he is in his element when he speeds through the water getting ahead of you. It’s mesmerizing, how his wet hair sticks to his eyes but he still swims like it’s breathing for him. It’s captivating, but again, everything about him seems to be.

Hundreds of cobalt awaits you when you reach the bottom of the ocean. Chan is pretty sure he just won the lottery, he can’t even start to think how he should feel right now. He looks to his left and knows it right away. He feels enchanted. Enchanted by your neon blue eyes, and your scales and tail, but overall, by you. By the way you laugh at his questions and smile as his hands hold yours.

Your mind goes faster than The Francisco, thoughts racing to be the one that catches your attention. And still, Chan appears to be the one that always has it. Locking eyes with him, you grasp his hand and tug. Before he can even blink, you’re already at the surface.

A dumbfounded smile finds its way to Chan’s face. He’s gleaming, the moonlight shining on him like she just found a new son.

“I didn’t die!” he says, eyes sparkling and the hand in yours trembly.

“No you didn’t.”

The ocean is filled with laughs and giggles, easiness coming off you. Your hand leaves his hold and goes to his hair, it’s dripping wet and curly. You are sure it had been like that before, you simply hadn’t realized it until now.

His curls wrap around your fingers the second you touch them. They are soft and shiny and you can’t comprehend why the first time you saw Chan his hair was straight.

“Your hair is curly,” you state the obvious.

“Yeah, I usually straighten it though.” His hand goes up his forehead and removes the strands of hair that keep falling over his eyes.

Your eyes narrow, curious and confused. Hearing your unsaid question, he answers. “Most people I know like it more when it’s straight.”

You scoff, hands going up his chest to his shoulders. Pushing him closer, you entangle your hands on his hair again, focusing on his wild locks.

“Well, mermen who have curly hair are praised on since it’s told that they are descendants of Poseidon.” You look down, giggles erupting from you before you can stop them. Arms tangling around his neck. “And as you probably know, he’s kind of a notorious figure for us. You’d be pretty famous around here Chan, all of the mermaids behind you waiting for your praise…”

Scents combine and heat rises to Chan’s cheekbones. The tips of his ears are reddening, heartbeat going up alongside, noses brush and then you are gone.

His eyes open up, mad at your playfulness but you are smiling with your lower lip caught under your teeth, so he lets it pass. Aware of his brand new ability not lasting forever, he leaves you in order to explore more of the vast world that consists of your home.

Reaching the island shortly after being left alone, you sit on the shore close to Chan’s boat. All of the fruits he had brought with him had already ended yesterday, his rod left useless beside the empty basket.

Buzz against your arm startles you until you see what Chan had explained before was his phone.

(1:47) Felix

dude where are you

everyone is crazy worried for you

your parents almost called the police but minho convinced them not to

you were supposed to go max one day to catch us some cool fish not be gone for 5 days

text back as fast as possible!!

Your hand goes up to your mouth and you turn to look at the boy playing in the water. You had almost forgotten. He is a human, with a life on land and loved ones waiting for him to come back to them.

A presence appears behind you, a comforting hand resting on your shoulder. You sigh, after all, Seungmin was right, Chan didn’t belong with you.

“I can make him go peacefully right now, you just need to bring him here and give me the green light.”

Seungmin’s words make your eyes shine with tears. It would be stupid to say it was love, nevertheless, you didn’t think just because it wasn’t love your feelings for him didn't matter or weren’t supposed to be taken seriously.

People leaving is a natural occurrence that happens to everyone. You, in particular, are very much aware that change happens and sometimes there is no control about it. However, are you ready to let the curly haired boy leave your life forever?

It’s times like these when you understand why your elders always warned the youngest about approaching the land people. It wasn’t about the possible danger, but about the almost sure attachment.

You want to say goodbye, but you know if you even try, you won’t be able to let him go.

Seungmin hugs you from behind, chin resting over your head due to your seating position, “sorry’s” being whispered between the two of you. Before you know it he is gone, screaming to get the human’s attention.

You don’t turn, but you hear Seungmin’s voice doing magic on Chan. Your hands cover your ears before it’s too late. You regret it when you hear Chan falling on Seungmin’s arms, wishing you were asleep too.

Blur is all around you, the figure of the human being left in his boat by Seungmin becoming a vague shadow between the gloom and the moonlight.

Cleaning the tear falling from your left eye, you close your eyes and put your hands together. Next, a wave is carrying Chan to where he came from. Home.

Uselessness wasn’t an uncommon feeling for Chan, it was rather regular to be honest, but that didn’t mean he expected to feel it about his summer love ending abruptly.

Summer love, quite the funny wording for five days of discovery and enjoyment. He knows it wasn’t love, but that doesn’t stop him from calling it that.

He would say what he is more angry about is the abruptness of it all. You were gone as fast as you appeared. No, he was the one gone. No goodbyes, no explanations, only a fast travel back to his family.

He remembers perfectly the sensation of waking up at shore in Sydney with aquamarines filling his before empty fruit basket. Wanting to scream into the water, pleading for you to come back, trying to go back to you swimming and realizing he couldn’t breath underwater anymore.

His parents had been furious, asking for explanations and giving him mad reactions when he said he wanted to feel the marine nature from closer. He had always been a bad liar.

His friends had asked for explanations as well, but ended up joking about his little adventure, pretending that he had been enchanted by a siren. Little did they know.

Sitting in his house, eating sardines with his visiting friend from Korea wasn’t exactly as fun as it should be. He didn’t want to be there, as much as he loved Minho, he earned for your touch, to kiss you one last time like kisses were supposed to be given, not like your first one was.

Sighing, he got up, going outside and letting the night breeze play with his curls. Almost feeling your hands threading through his hair.

The nights pass, the moon shining as bright as ever for her new son. As time passes, your memory begins to fade from Chan’s brain. The forever beautiful mermaid leaving him quietly like a daughter coming home late from a party.

He believes to have seen inhuman blue eyes peeking from the water to his house sometimes, but he lets it wash away from his mind.

Old ancestors' stories tell that a true love kiss from a mermaid can give humans the power to breathe underwater for the rest of their life’s. But don’t get too ahead of yourselves hatchlings, there’s no actual record of that being true. Different worlds are not meant to collide.

@mochamvgz @leonsmain

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lyomeii · 1 year

Text

A REGRESSOR PRIVILEGE

-> warning: yandere theme, death, gender neutral reader, spoiler from the ending!, angst(?)

-> request by anon! Hello! First off, YOUR BLOG IS SO CUTE I LOVE IT!!!! ❤️❤️ Secondly, if it's not to much trouble, can I request Sung Jin Woo with a reader that regresses? Like, they're not very strong(bc that's the price of their ability) but everytime he or they die, they regress back to the D-dungeon incident. They also can't talked much, because of censorship from the system. But every regression they've loved him even when he doesn't! Thank you and have a lovely day!!!

-> a/n: I loved writing this one!!! with the idea of a regressor reader with Jinwoo not only make this a tragic romance with fluff and sweet moment but also angst :) my fault that I am no longer active as I used to, school is killing me :/ but I am doing better now

-> sometimes you don’t recall the last time you felt real pain. of course, some cuts and bruises happen in your days for the most simplest reasons, but you don’t remember any more attempts to clean the little injuries neither patching the bruises along your skin, that don’t really matter knowing that your life will happen again in a few seconds.

-> jinwoo failed to save the world this time, like many times, leaving the place what you called home in ruins and chaos. Poor boy, doesn’t he know that still fighting all the monarchs wouldn’t changing nothing? He has no knowledge of what you have experienced for the last few years, none else know and you can’t never tell anyone about it.

-> when the last attack from one of the monarchs hit Jinwoo’s chest, making him finally defeated after fighting for so long, you just closed your eyes for a few moments while sitting to a closer bench that gave you a good place to witness the fight. Can you say that he got closer this time? Nah, that would be weird, you did gene try to met him this time, leaving him to get closer to that girl… Maybe next time, you should try to date him again.

-> after minutes, finally opening your eyes to notice that you are once again inside your office, ready to leave after writing an article about the weather ( writing it so many times made you wonder if you should try a new job this live ). Is this the seventeenth time you are living this? Probably, you stop counting after a while. What a terrible power you got.

-> whatever you or Jinwoo died or he fails to save the world, the time is reset and brings you back to the day he change his life completely and your too. When he wakes up from and realize that he has to change his life to become the greatest hunter of all time, you need to find a way to secure to not die this time neither him…. You can’t handle dying again and again, over and over. Not to mention the many times you tried to look to a way to lose the power and in the end, you kept dying or being using for tests.

-> stood up from your seat, you grabbed your belongings and left the building with the intention of going home and spend the rest of your day there, and probably ask to renounce from job and to search for another one, it’s getting boring writing the many articles from memories, let’s try something new this time.

-> arriving home, you look to your neighbor’s door, there is where Jinwoo and his sister lives in all your seventeenth lifes, that how you know him and about his works as a Hunter. Every morning, you and him would meet up either on the front door or so did the elevator, where a small conversation happen and another one, that kept occurring til the day he finally asked you out after the incident, leading you two becoming a couple.

-> it was nice, you admitted it, however after witnessing him dying over again changed your mind really fast. The relationship is probably one the main reasons why he didn’t train as hard to deafest the monarchs, making him failing all those times and now, you are looking forward to your friendship with Jinwoo don’t change at all… it will be better if you just ignore him for now.

-> quit your office job to join a coffee shop, one that is getting popular recently, meaning that you have to leave home earlier to prepare the many desserts and drinks, also that make you unable to meet with Jinwoo, a win. Might be overworking, but the sensation of the freshly candies out the oven and the smell of coffee make it all worth, not to mention the lovely coworkers and clients you got closer, this time you are feeling that Jinwoo will defeat the monarchs, you are sure of that.

-> with the work going smoothly as you expected in the last days, you decided to create a new drink to attract more clients and getting the coffee shop more fame in the social medias, a simple plan that did work after all. The lines got bigger and your coworkers were impressed of your idea, all of them congratulated you for helping them since the day you began working here and in return asked if you would like to go home earlier as a little reward, but you denied, saying that you love working here and there is no problem to stay behind to clean part by yourself. They were little worried of all working, but with your big smile, they let you work.

-> by yourself, you start cleaning the place with the mob and packing up the food that didn’t sold to give to the shelter nearby, it’s getting darker meaning the chances of someone entering the shop are low, but never zero and when the classic bell rang, you are meet with familiar faces that you didn’t want to, Jinwoo and Jinah entering the shop.

-> they look so happy and their smile only grown bigger the instant both of them notice you. Jinah didn’t hesitate to run and almost dropping into the ground with a hug and kisses spread around your face. You are happy to see her and to feel her touch once again, but her brother standing behind the gentle girl is what scare you the most.

-> jinah ordered for some dessert and went to eat it somewhat in the store, leaving you to talk with Jinwoo alone after spending so much time far away from him, trying to not seeing his face anymore, only in the news. But guess destiny had others plans that make you two met once again in this life.

-> you were supposed to take him out after Jinah finished her desserts and say that neither of them needed to pay it, but the girl was longer gone (how you never noticed it?), leaving you without options, you have to talk with Jinwoo after months of not seeing him.

-> Jinwoo began speaking quite fast, starting with the the incident that occurred in that dungeon and how he managed to get stronger, taller and gain his fame as a S-Hunter. Might look he is putting himself on a pedestal with telling everything that is related to him, yet he is trying his best to impress you, but isn’t working.

-> your eyes didn’t change neither your neutral expression that keep bothering him since he first step inside the cafe and his heart almost broken when you asked him to leave if he don’t order anything, adding that you need to close the shop before it’s get to dangerous to return home. That truly hurt his heart.

-> he panicked hearing your words, how the two of you became so distant from another? Why you keep ignoring him even with him trying to reconnect with you with many attempts of showing his true feelings towards the person he cares, loves and desire the most! He wants to experience all those dates that he kept dreaming with you! He needs to make you understand his feelings!

-> before you could leave, Jinwoo grabbed you by the waist and made you entered his arms (too strong to leave his embrace), not losing any second or letting you think, he placed a kiss on your forehead while speaking all those sweet words he always wanted to say, telling you of those dreams he kept having, meaning that you are destined to be with him, he can’t let you go away like before.

-> this was supposed to be a good moment between you and him. You are supposed to be happy and accept his feelings and began dating him, yet those dreams he said to have are actually dates that you had with him in past lifes, how he can remember that? That doesn’t really matter, you need to leave him to never see his face anymore, you have to tell him that… but why you can’t speak a word?

-> looking around, you notice the many shadows staring at you, making you feel scared and anxiously, are they going to hurt you? You tried voicing your thoughts to Jinwoo, explaining to him that he needs to leave alone forever, but nothing happen again and slowly your mind made you closer your eyes and succumb into his arms.

-> no worries, when you open your eyes, you will wake up somewhere safe and peaceful at his side, Jinwoo will take care of everything in your name, he give you anything you desire as long you stay at his side.

@lyomeii stuff || don’t repost

#yandere headcanon #yandere imagine #yandere #yandere x reader #yandere x you #yandere male #yandere manhwa #manhwa x readed #solo leveling imagine #solo leveling x reader #yandere solo leveling #solo leveling headcanon #yandere sung jin woo #sung jin woo imagine #sung jin woo x reader #sung jin woo

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itsabouttimex2 · 24 days

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Amazing job at writing the new part as always! It flows nicely and you can easily tell how familiar Macaque & MC without making him OOC. Honestly i admire your grasp at these characters and ability of doing something as complex as interactive series. I'm kinda curious how do you plan things and how far ahead but only if you want to share it ofc.

Going back to the actually piece- it actually made me look up the meanings of flowers despite the original thought of it only being because of the color association. Two first flowers have pretty easy and basic meaning. I can see why the edgy (/affectionate) mentor wouldn't want them near his home.

Freesia - friendship trust innocence

yellow roses - friendship, joy and similar stuff

The one choosen by Macaque are a little more interesting.

Tansies - immortality, resistance, "I declare against you", sometimes used in medicine

black dahlias - (warning of) betrayal, sadness, (not specified black ones: dignity, good luck, elegance)

I'm guessing the tansies are about him being bitter about the Wukong and their more practical use. Black dahlias could be about Monkey King but also some kind of foreshadowing depending on our choice. Or I'm reading into it too much.

Hopefully I'm not overthinking it or completely missing the point (and if i am, I'm really,really sorry). Just wanted to share it in case other readers didn't look it up + i know some people like to see their work analysed but if i'm going to far please let me know! Have a good day/night! :]

(Sorry for any mistakes and feel free to delete the ask)

Oh my god, thank you so much! That’s such a sweet thing to say! (Please never stop analyzing my work I put a lot of effort into it💜💜)

🌻🌻I’ll start with flowers: you are right on the money here. Freesia especially are bright and colorful blooms, coming in many different gorgeous colors. Yellow roses are just the same, bright and cheery and so similar to the sun.

And, given that freesia come in orange and yellow… it’s possible the potted plants were a living reminder of Sun Wukong that Macaque finally got sick of and ripped apart. Or he just took advantage of someone else shredding the innocent flowers and took something that Y/N worked hard on and changed it to his liking instead. (Written to be ambiguous as to which scenario occurred.)

Notably, the new flowers not only match his own personal feelings, but even his color scheme! Yellow, then red and black. Twice over do these flowers symbolize him, something he took and changed to make more suitable to his tastes and feelings.

But he’s not the one who takes care of them- no, it’s Y/N who is dedicated to seeing them grow.

His student tending and nurturing the flowers that represent Macaque, while Macaque destroys/allows the destruction of the flowers that represent his student. Huh. Funny.

Okay flower rant done.🌻🌻

Macaque is such an interesting character to write, given that there’s a spike of cruelty barbing out from almost every action he takes. I think a lot of people have forgotten that the man hasn’t had a redemption arc in canon- he displays zero regret for, say… manipulating and trying to kill MK. Or leveling the Dragon Palace of the East Sea. Or assaulting Tang, a strict non-combatant. Or holding Mei’s life hostage.

He doesn’t feel bad for doing any of these. If he does, he’s keeping tight-lipped about it. No apologies. No direct atonement.

And even on the extremely rare circumstance that he’s being “kind”, like deciding to stop torturing MK in Shadowplay, it comes across as almost “I’m bored with you, you aren’t fun anymore.”

He’s not a good guy. So even with Y/N, who he genuinely does care for, there’s this level of manipulation.

Like, he calls Y/N adorable, which sounds nice… but there’s almost a level of victim-blaming to it. No matter how roundabout his words, Macaque basically says to his own student: “If you looked different, people wouldn’t bother you, so let me change the way you look.”

And they trust him enough to agree.

Or letting them cook in fear outside his door when he’s clearly near enough to open it, but dropping the act when they start to break down.

He’s such an interesting character to write ugh I love it.

I had a lot of the routes planned pretty far out, actually, and I’ll give a few examples of what was planned:

Spider Demon Y/N was sort of naive and excitable, but was going to mature/sour after realizing that their beloved queen was, in fact, the bad guy. They were going to have to come to terms with her necessary defeat and their own part in betraying her, as well as living on after you’ve cut ties to your family. Then, readers were going to be able to pick one other henchman to convince to join the heroes.

Dragon Y/N was going to have to both gain Ao Guang’s (their father) approval to live on the surface, and decide how they felt about MK possessing the Ruyi Jingu Bang. They fought using two strings of beaded pearls, utilizing them as whips and grappling hooks to maneuver around the battle field. Also, they hated Macaque. Genuinely throwing hands on sight if they saw that edgy rat.

Heir/Proxy Y/N was going to be a pretty miserable and clingy person, having spent most of their life alone on account of both the LBD and Mayor’s influence. Overcoming their fears and anxieties of being unlovable was going to be a massive part of the journey, learning to love themself and be loved in turn. They were going to have to learn to master the powers forcibly implanted into their body, trying to prevent themself from being sacrificed for power to aid LBD’s onwards path to ‘destiny’.

Ne Zha’s Y/N was going to be cute and polite, very excited to explore the mortal realm outside the grasp of their overprotective mentor/brother. They were also going to have to deal with the first two lotus princes (also overprotective) and Ao Bing, who served as a dear friend.

Sun Wukong’s Y/N was going to be his estranged child who was bitter over ML inheriting the staff instead of them. They were going to despise him for never training them, having to find masters and teachers elsewhere all across the world. In turn, he was desperately trying to make amends and reestablish a strong bond with his cherished progeny, hoping to reconnect eventually.

Also Mei was going to call Y/N “Broth-Face”.

#Time Talks #Choose Your Own Adventure #A Brand New Journey

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hotmessmaxpress · 2 months

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Mate pleaseeee dont stop writing ever about marc and marco like they areee sososo ughh idk!!!! like it just works so good yk

so thats why i say pretty please with a cherry onntop to give me another snippet of them interacting in anyway🤞🙏

Here is my Bezz x Marc friendship thesis! Which is maybe not what you're looking for but I don't have the brainpower to write an entire scene. I did have the brainpower to dump all of my thoughts about them though!

Okay so in this au there are two main things that I think change Bezz’s view of Marc from enemy to bestie. One is that Bezz has a meltdown about the whole thing and Vale puts him in his place. (I wrote more of this that I might post when I like it!)

The more compelling part to me that I sort of glossed over in the first part of this au is that Bezz has a moment of realization that he and Marc are both omegas. As Marc has noticed, Bezz really doesn’t think too hard about his role as the pack omega. He just is. When Luca first tells Bezz about Marc’s bite and just how badly Vale fucked it up, it sends Bezz into a bit of a crisis that takes him a long time to really confront head on. He sort of just shoves it aside until he has had time to adjust to Marc being in the pack.

Bezz then realizes that no matter what happens, he will always understand Marc better than any other member of the pack because they share the unique experience of being an omega and everything that comes with that. While Bezz’s pack don’t treat him really any differently (at least not in a bad way– if anything they spoil him) than they would if he was an alpha, that doesn’t change the fact that they could. They could take advantage of him, especially during his heats. They could treat him like he’s lesser-than. And none of that ever really occurred to him until he found out about what happened to Marc. And at first, that scared him. The idea that his pack would ever do that to him was terrifying. Pretty quickly, though, he realized that they wouldn’t actually ever do that. Still, that knowledge remained. He and Marc are the only two people in their pack that have to cope with everything that comes with being an omega.

So when it comes to welcoming Marc to the pack (even though it takes Bezz the longest of any of the other pack members) once Bezz decides to love him he loves him. Marc is already a pro at codependent relationships (lol love you Alex) and he and Bezz pretty much latch onto each other.

Marc is who Bezz goes to when he doesn’t feel well. He goes to Marc when he’s tired. He goes to Marc when he needs attention. And on the flip side, Marc goes to Bezz as well. When he needs someone to help him be calm and clear his thoughts, he goes to Bezz.

Marc loves Vale’s room, and he loves that it becomes their room together (he even loves that Vale has a bike in there, a fact which has changed my brain chemistry). He loves the way that Vale has his little pack who all love him and listen to him and look to him for advice. But sometimes he still isn’t sure where he fits into that– he’s closer in age to most of the pack members than he is to Vale, and he really doesn’t feel comfortable giving them unsolicited advice in the way Vale does. He goes to Bezz for reassurance, and he finds himself in Bezz’s room often. There’s something comforting about having a room to go to that doesn’t smell like alpha. Bezz is always happy to have him, too. He lets Marc join him in whatever he’s doing, even if it means Marc silently pressing up against him in bed while Bezz plays video games. Bezz doesn’t even question it. Marc is always allowed in his nests or in his arms.

Maybe they’ve just had a long day of training at the ranch, and Marc’s nerves are frayed because training at the ranch always brings up weird emotions about his first breakup with Vale. And Marc could go to Vale but he doesn’t really want to talk about it and he knows that if he goes to Vale, his mate is going to get all sad-eyed and feel guilty and Marc doesn’t want that! So instead he showers and goes to Bezz’s room, where it smells comfortingly of omega and safety and calm. And Bezz has just showered and his hair is sort of fluffy the way it gets when he allows it to air dry.

Maybe Bezz is even expecting it because he knows Marc gets weird about training at the ranch sometimes (maybe this is even their routine!). So he’s ready and is happy to let Marc curl up next to him in bed. Marc is wearing a sweatshirt that belongs to Vale and he just watches, silently, as Bezz plays video games. He doesn’t join in because he’s tired and emotionally wiped out, but he keeps his chin planted firmly on Bezz’s shoulder. He feels Bezz tense every time he struggles with a battle and feels him relax when he wins. There’s no pressure to talk or explain himself or entertain the other man. They sit in comfortable silence, cuddled together.

Vale comes to check on him usually, and bring them snacks, sometimes, but Marc always stays with the other omega until he feels okay again.

#rosquez a/b/o au #marc marquez #marco bezzecchi #motogp rpf #motogp ask #mm93 #mb72

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infiniteeight8 · 3 months

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unprompted ficlet

(The next prompt in my queue is deeply angsty and I felt weird posting it today, so it’s on hold until tomorrow.)

I love the romantic Valentine’s art and fic I’ve seen today, but my writing brain has occasional bouts of contrariness, so my own contribution is going to be asexual aromantic Stephen in a queerplatonic relationship with Tony.

I have an idea about how this fits with Stephen’s relationship with Christine, but that didn’t really fit in the ficlet, so I’m glossing over it.

It happens slowly, so slowly that when Stephen finally looks back at the progression, he can’t pinpoint when, exactly, it started. After Titan, certainly, but that’s pretty much just the same as after meeting Tony, which goes without saying. Maybe it really started a year after Thanos, when Christine asked him, with concern in her eyes, when he was going to “get back out there” and Stephen had been completely unable to figure out what she meant until she specified romantically.

It hadn’t even occurred to him. He hadn’t thought about dating in years. Hell, he hadn’t thought about sex in years. With Christine’s concern as impetus, he considers it and finds that it just feels… unnecessary. He has a fulfilling calling. He has the companionship of his friends. There’s nothing missing.

While he doesn’t make any conscious decisions after his conversation with Christine, in hindsight, that’s probably when Stephen stopped thinking of some things as being reserved for a romantic partner. Why shouldn’t he walk arm in arm with Wong, or sleep in the same bed with Tony?

Nearly all of Stephen’s friendships have developed their own quirks by now, but none so much as Tony.

Lying across the couch with his head in Tony’s lap as the man carefully, gently massages Stephen’s hands, he thinks there’s not really a good word for what they are to each other. They sleep in the same bed on any night that other commitments don’t prevent it. Tony occasionally dates. They spend more of their downtime together than apart. Stephen’s belongings are primarily, but not exclusively, kept in the Sanctum and Tony’s in the penthouse. They’ve mentored two kids together.

“You’re far away,” Tony murmurs as he sets one hand down on Stephen’s chest and reaches for the other.

“Mmmm. Not so far,” Stephen says.

“What were you thinking about?” There’s no concern in Tony’s voice, only curiosity; he can tell when Stephen is relaxed.

“Semantics.”

Tony laughs and looks away from his work on Stephen’s hand to meet his gaze for a moment. “Semantics, really?”

“Really,” Stephen says, a smile curving his lips. “About things that we don’t have words to properly describe.”

“That’s philosophy, not semantics,” Tony argues.

“Now you’re talking semantics.”

Tony rolls his eyes. “Some things are too complex to be described in words.” For a moment, Stephen is surprised at the romanticism of that comment: the engineer is normally all about quantifying things. Then he goes on: “That’s what math is for.”

Stephen laughs and flicks a spark at Tony’s nose: a taunt, because Tony has yet to find the math for Stephen’s magic. Tony sticks his tongue out in response.

Life is good.

#IronStrange #aroace Stephen #QPR IronStrange

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jhugas · 1 year

Text

‘SILENCE SPOKE BETTER THAN WORDS’- Park Jimin

✿✼:*ﾟ:༅｡.｡༅:*･ﾟﾟ･⭑

Genre: fluff, suggestive

Pairing: Chilhood bsf! Crush! Jimin X f!Reader, childhood best friends to lovers.

Summary: Jimin, your childhood bestfriend and crush, has something in his mind at your birthday party, you decide to go up to him and have a nice conversation. Instead, something else occurs.

Word count: ~1,2k

Warnings/tags: kiss, lil make out 💋 + a small and chill playlist for free lolz.

✿✼:*ﾟ:༅｡.｡༅:*･ﾟﾟ･⭑

It’s your birthday party, finally. It took you so long to find a date where all of your friends could come… just for you to stay the whole night with Jimin.

It just felt so nice being around him. He was so sweet. He was one in a world, no one could ever be like him. The way he smiled… talked and looked at you… you just felt so safe around him. It’s not just this, but when you were with him, he also made you feel like you two were all alone in a silent world. Like nothing else mattered.

When with him, nothing else went through your mind, you just lived the moment, and enjoyed it.

What made it even better, is that you associated all of the most beautiful and calmest songs to him. It’s due to a playlist you two participated in, and used to listen to almost every day.

[ y/nMin’s playlist<3 ]

Now playing —> 505- Arctic Monkeys

Next —> I Wanna Be Yours- Arctic Monkeys

—> The Beach- The Neighbourhood

—> You Get Me So high- The Neighbourhood

—> Pride- Kendrick Lamar

—> Love- Kendrick Lamar

—> Les- Childish Gambino

—> Redbone- Childish Gambino

—> Nobody But You- Sonder

—> Someone New- Sonder

—> After The Storm- Kali Uchis

—> There Will Be Blood- Chloe Gallardo

( —> Rain- Bts )

You had a huge crush on him for years now, but you were so scared of screwing up your friendship! What if he didn’t like you back…

He was so excited about all of your birthdays, asking you 10 months in advance what you want as a gift. And you always told him you didn’t need anything, but he always brought a lot of big gifts. The thing is, he wrote down everything you liked and mentioned in his notes, then bought them for your birthday.

When everyone arrived at your house, you stayed with all of them, put some random playlist on, and had fun. But then, Jimin caught your attention… he was acting a bit weird. He was distant, and somehow, looked sad? Lost?

You can’t handle seeing the love of your life like this. So you go up to him and he acts like he doesn’t see you until you really stood in front of him.

‘Jimin… what’s wrong?

You gently ask, trying to not rush him.

‘I’m alright, what do you mean?’

He answers, but his eyes say otherwise. Is he hiding something from you? You could assume but you don’t want to, you’d rather let him express himself. But this isn’t possible in front of everyone, you know he needs peace and to be alone to open himself. So you grab his hand and bring him to behind your house, on the balcony.

Once you arrived, instead of letting your hands go like it usually happens, he keeps your hand in his warm one, and doesn’t let you go. Blood rush to your cheeks but since it’s night he won’t see it.

You lean on the balcony with him, and before any of you speak, you just stare at the stars. Fortunately, the sky is clear today, so you can see all of the stars shine.

‘When I look at the stars, I feel so good. Like I’m weightless. One of the few times where I actually feel like I’m part of the universe. Isn’t that crazy?’

You say, expecting him to feel more relaxed.

‘What’s your favorite star?’

He asks.

‘I don’t have one. I watch all of them at the same time.’

‘I’m sure there’s a star named ‘y/n’ out here. It must be the prettiest out of all… And if there isn’t, I’ll make one myself.’

He giggles and looks at you to analyze your reaction. Your eyes widen in surprise and you start giggling with him. Your laughs and slight awkwardness being the only thing in the air along with the music in the background. You notice it’s a sweet song playing too, did someone put your playlist in?

After laughing a bit, you go back to normal but instead of carrying on with the conversation, you just look at each other, in silence.

But maybe silence spoke better than words. You find yourself getting your face closer to his, his hand behind your head, messing up your pretty hair for your birthday. Then your mind goes numb and empty as you feel for the first time, outside your dreams, his soft, plump and pink lips on yours. This moment stays like a picture in your memory.

And before you realize it, your lips are moving along, slowly, and carefully. It’s a romantic and filled with love kiss, and you’ll do anything to make it last forever.

The warm wind brushing your hair and guiding them towards him, as he pushes them away from your innocent face. Sucking on your top lip, keeping the lead as you keep his bottom ones in between yours. You don’t have a lot of experience, and neither did he.

Well… to be honest, the last time you kissed someone, was more than a few years ago, and with Jimin. Since you were childhood best friends, you grew up together. And curiosity pushed you two to kiss at a young age. You can’t lie though, you did already have a crush on him at that time.

Your love for him didn’t stop, or just stayed. It got bigger, stronger.

Everything was so perfect about him… his eyes, nose, lips, voice, thoughts, laugh… his everything. You hoped he thinks like this of you too. And after feeling his lips move against yours, eyes closed shut and eyebrows frowned, you couldn’t believe anything else but him being in love with you too.

His tongue finally brushes your lip, wetting them but you couldn’t care less. He tilts his head to the side, and gets even deeper in the kiss. You never thought your real first kiss and make out were going to happen in one night…and with Jimin…

Suddenly, stepping noises are getting louder and louder, disturbing you two. But you kept going until you realized they were approaching you.

When one of your friends gets to the balcony, you step back and look at your friend in surprise.

‘Hey y/n!! When’s the cake?’

Your friend asks before realizing he interrupted something and going back to the party immediately.

You look back at Jimin, just to find him staring at you, a smile drawn in his lips. It isn’t awkward, on the contrary, it’s comfortable. He brings back your hair behind your ear and takes your hand before bringing you back to the party.

Later, since he stayed to sleep, you talked together and he asked you:

‘Y/n… would you be my girlfriend?’

He said with a cute, shy smile.

‘Of course.’

And this is how you made it official… and don’t worry about the rest, everything went well :)

Note: I see blond Jimin what about y’all?

Thank you for reading! Likes are very much appreciated but reblogs and comments truly help the creators to get more exposure. Thank you!

#army #bts #fanfic #scenarios #one shot #imagine #Jimin #Jimin fluff #fluff #Jimin one shit #Jimin x reader #Jimin x you #Jimin x y/n #first kiss #jimin fic #Jimin fanfic #bts fic #bts fanfic

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cloveroctobers · 10 months

Text

Richie Jerimovich — summer prompts 🍋

A/N: Love that most of y’all are coming around when it comes to Richie but what’s understood doesn’t need to be explained! Anyways after watching this eye-opening season, it was easy to be inspired for this piece so I hope you enjoy this.

SYNOPSIS: Richie’s found his purpose and doesn’t want to reflect on the past (much) but is looking towards a better future…which may include baby steps to outsiders but it means everything to him.

WARNINGS: language ofc it’s the bear & me we’re talking about, mentions of drugs & anxiety, mentions of slight sexual themes, and a little heaviness but mostly two goof balls expressing their love for each together.

Decided to throw a prompt into the mix as well so I’m using: “can we make cookies?” “it is 92 degrees outside, no!”

*GIF BELONGS TO: @p3iyin9 *

꒰ ° ꒱** ༉‧₊˚✧ ↝ ꒰ ° ꒱** ༉‧₊˚✧ ↝ ꒰ ° ꒱** ༉‧₊˚✧ ↝ ꒰ ° ꒱**

[July 10th]

[4 months, 14 days later…]

It’s her birthday and she’s here.

She’s not alone and Richie’s half expecting her to be here with some new guy, some guy that’s more around her age and has their shit together. It’s a bitter thought to have but he can’t lie and say that it didn’t occur, the constant insecurity of not being good enough.

He knows it’s his own fault, he’s the one who pushed her away not long after she welcomed him between her thighs during a brutal winter. The details were vivid even with his eyes wide open, burning into space. He wanted to be angry being so intimate with someone else when there was always the thought of his first love on his mind.

Tiffany.

His ex-wife.

He was still hurting from being officially divorced for about a year now (separated for three) and she was moving on he learned. It was bound to happen, a woman with a heart like her’s? Richie wasn’t sure why he was still holding on to hope for them to rekindle their relationship. He wanted it to work but he was the constant screw up and Tiffany deserved better…he just didn’t expect it to be with some construction owning guy named Frank.

Richie already didn’t trust him.

It was the common tale of curing a broken heart, trying to get underneath someone else to get over someone, to feel anything else but the continuing ache that sat on the left side of his chest.

Freya Mazari was someone Richie met not long after “the thing with Tiff,” happened, outside of a bar that was famous for bourbon and risqué wall art. He spotted her outside at the start of summer on a surprisingly quiet sidewalk cracking her knuckles—out of a possible bad habit, blue bruise the side of an apple on her cheek, and a unlit spliff tapping against her thigh afterwards as she seemed to be mumbling some lyrics to a Busta Rhymes song.

That was the first thing that had him sold on their soon growing friendship.

Freya’s surrounded by a group of diverse women who are laughing it up over drinks while Freya is standing; embracing Sugar and falling into smile-filled chatter with the blonde. Richie instantly feels a pull to head over there himself but be figures he can just get entail from Sugar later. Carmy’s been over to Freya’s table already, handing out a, “it’s on the house,” birthday special but they still weren’t on the best terms really. It was strictly business now and that was something Richie never wanted to be part of.

A strict relationship with a family member—except for uncle Jimmy of course, he really had no choice with that one. That night back on opening day in May, seemed to be something they couldn’t get pass just yet and that was another hard pill for Richie to swallow.

Carmy messing up something good on the surface level and taking it out on everybody else with his mouth, changed the trajectory of their relationship.

Would it be forever? Richie couldn’t tell you.

Nonetheless he wasn’t here at the bear to talk about need-a-diaper carmy. Right now? He needed to figure out how to handle this…this distance with the woman he considered his close friend.

He’ll deal with that family shit in due time, don’t worry.

“Who are we hiding from?” A familiar voice causes Richie to clench his eyes shut.

He doesn’t have to peer down at the shorter tatted man who’s behind him as he says, “I’m not hiding from nobody.”

“Really? Because it looks like you’re creeping on…Freya! Yeah Freya over there. Do you know it’s her birthday today? We had the best birthday hug, she may even be a better hugger than me.” Fak informs the taller blue eyed tux wearing man.

Richie pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance, “of course I know its her—what did I tell you about touching things that don’t belong to you?”

He battled with himself countless of times this entire morning to call her up but ultimately fought against himself to just do it.

Fak hummed, “hey, she’s my friend too! And doesn’t belong to either of us but we’re included in her life and it’s her birthday! I’m sure she’ll be happy to receive a birthday wish from you too.”

“I can’t say I agree with you on that.”

“Why not? Oh…it’s because you guys did the dance with no pants—

Richie’s hands immediately slaps over the animated man’s mouth and starts talking to him calmly, “what did I say? To not ever mention that shit here at the original bear.”

That’s Richie’s new spin on the restaurant name, yes there are shirts on the way!

Patience is key.

Fak hummed as Richie scolded him. It wasn’t that big of a deal in the first place on Fak’s side of things. He was just thrilled that Richie was involved in being intimate with someone he cared about for once…compared to the others that shall not be named. Fak thought Freya and Richie could be something great but he wasn’t aware what Richie was so scared of.

“Yuck! Did you just lick my hand you—

Richie shook his hand about, halting himself from saying something insulting. Sometimes it just slipped out but he was doing much better and it was usually a place out of love when it came to Fak. He was like a puppy in training, always excited and doing whatever came to mind but most of the time you had to lure him to take a fucking nap.

“Yeah I did! Just go talk to her! Make her dreams come true.”

“Fuck are you talking about? Do I look like Hall & Oates to you? Like I’m her dream guy or somethin’?”

“Hey, I thought we weren’t doing this. I don’t like you talking down on yourself buddy! You need to go into the restroom and give yourself a quick pep talk in the mirror.” Fak ordered, pointing in the direction of the restrooms.

Richie blew out a raspberry at Fak’s encouragement. He didn’t take him serious but once the man started shoving him about, Richie was all elbows flying and slap-fight inflicting between the two.

Sydney calls from the kitchen, “Hey! What’re you two doing? Aren’t you supposed to be up front?”

“Sugar’s up front.” Richie informs with a slight turn to face the braided woman.

Fak immediately straightens up, not providing much answers, “Yes ma’am! I mean chef.”

Sydney blinks at the two, wondering why they’re not moving, leaving Fak to take a few deep breaths before slapping Richie on the chest as he mutters, “Taking one for the team again! You’re welcome and get it together!”

“Don’t tell me what to do, Fak.”

Fak shrugs his shoulders and spins to leave the entry way of the kitchen, while the pace of the kitchen has started to slow down the movements are still precise. It’s late, after ten pm and there’s about three to five parties left, which means closing time should be wrapping up within the next thirty to forty-five minutes.

Business was booming still almost two months later but the rush always seemed to slow down once the late nights arrived. The Bear was formerly known as mainly a lunch or late lunch spot but after this new reno, dinner became much more important.

“Richie,” Sydney steps away from her spot behind the stand, “Everything good?”

Richie exhales as he mutters, “Freya’s out there.”

“I heard.”

He fidgets then.

“Have you talked to her? It’s her birthday.”

“I’m aware, I put in the word for Marcus to give her a little piece of home since I also hear she’s a little homesick. Mkhabez.” Sydney tells Richie, as she eyes the jittery man.

Richie chews on his fingernail in thought, “right that’s some type of cookie. Almond cookie? She told me about how her uh, Jidda used to make them for her as a little girl with her siblings back in Algeria.”

Sydney nodded her head, “yeah…are you okay?”

“Huh?”

“Not to be an asshole but you look like you’re gonna pass out or hurl and if you are, please give me a fair warning so you don’t ruin my coat.” Sydney cautiously took a step back as Richie used the back of his hand to wipe at the beads of sweat on his forehead and not because of the heat in the kitchen.

Richie scoffs, “No need to worry, Chef. I’m not gonna empty my belly or pop a smooth criminal lean. I don’t know why I’m feeling this way. I probably need to pop another xan.”

“Uh, that’s probably something you shouldn’t mention to me.”

“Why? You’re not gonna snitch on me, are you?”

“No…but I might snoop through your stuff and fry them all in a pan.” Sydney honestly says while she folds her arms as Richie peers at her.

“You wouldn’t.”

“I could,” Sydney challenged, “if you need a minute take it but you can’t run forever.”

“Who says I’m runnin’?”

“It’s pretty obvious,” Sydney states, “and you just need to rip whatever this is off like a band aid, you’ll feel better afterwards.”

“And what if I don’t?”

Sydney pauses with her arms still folded before she peeks around at the remaining chefs in the kitchen, Carmy not in sight before she whispers back up at him, “then fuck it, at least you tried.”

Richie can’t help but to snort out some laughter before he claps two hands down on Sydney’s shoulders, giving them a squeeze, “Well thanks for that, Syd.”

“Sure, whatever. Now get out of my kitchen.”

“Our!” Richie points.

Sydney nods her head from side to side with a playful roll of her eyes as Richie clicks his tongue at her. Down the hall he goes in search of the bathroom to in fact, give himself a pep talk but most importantly to calm down.

Richie’s disappeared for over half an hour. He didn’t realize it until Carmy barged in to see him sitting on the bathroom sink.

“I said I’m in here!”

“Yeah, with your ass in the sink.” Carmy’s tone is monotone but quick to point out, “which is unsanitary by the way.”

Richie can’t help but to roll his eyes as he hops off then, fixing his tux before he slaps his face, bringing himself out his daze. He spins back around, getting another good look at his reflection for what felt like the thousandth time but he exhales and quietly excuses himself from around Carmy who appears as if he wants to say more.

But he doesn’t.

Richie’s steps echo in his ears as he circles around to the dining area. He hasn’t realized how long he locked himself away until he’s in the room, half of the chairs flipped up onto the tables with lofi music playing through the speakers.

He can only guess who picked this shit.

A blonde pregnant lady probably.

“Damn.” Richie rubs at his mouth in frustration, briefly noticing the booth Freya previously sat in was now empty.

That didn’t lift the weight to now know that she was gone for the night. In fact it made him feel worse, that he didn’t have the nerve to just walk up to her and talk.

You know? like friends were supposed to be able to do.

His skin is red as he pinches at it in aggravation, until he picks up on the sound of heels slowly clacking against the floor. His breathing hitches as he lifts his head to meet Freya’s dark sharp eyes.

“Hey,” Richie chest feels tight but he breathes, “I thought you scrammed outta here with your girls.”

She shakes her head as she keeps some distance between the two, “some of them have early mornings tomorrow and the rest I told to just go home. I was hoping to run into you actually.”

Richie swallows as she steps forward, “why? To smash some cake in my face?”

“Now there’s an idea.” She lightly laughs and it sounds like Christmas bells, “but no, I wanted to see you.”

Richie quirked up a brow as he carefully moved out of the way so Freya could grab her things, “…really?”

“Yeah, we have some things to talk about.” Freya slips her bag over her shoulder, “Like you ghosting me for one.”

Richie rolls his head up to the ceiling, “yeah, about that—

“Let’s go for a late night walk.”

“How about a late night drive since I know your feet are hurting or about to be soon,” Richie looks at Freya’s fit, knowing she wasn’t much of a heels wearing woman (although she wears them very well) preferring sneakers more than anything on her feet.

Freya laughs as she sways a bit, probably a little tipsy, “you’re not wrong about that…so get your keys and take me to yours.”

“Mine,” Richie questions while pointing to himself, “I dunno what kinda guy you take me for—

“Oh Shut up, I’m not giving you any of this birthday cake.” She poses in her fitted dress, “I’m only propositioning a conversation between Richard and the birthday girl.”

“Yeah you giving this a whole title isn’t helping the innuendo, baby.”

“And neither are you in that tux,” Freya smoothes down the arm of it before placing her hands back on the strap of her bag, “Didn’t get the chance to tell you last time face to face but you clean up very nice, Richard.”

Richie gives a grin as he says, “Give me two minutes.”

Which leads to the pair pulling up to Richie’s condo/apartment. It’s normally too quiet at night for his liking, especially when he’s not jamming out with Eva here. After unlocking the front door, he holds his arm out for Freya to lead the way, which she has no issue doing, a natural sway in her steps as she walks down the foyer bare footed now.

“I’ll put the AC on.” Richie rushes out as Freya makes herself at home, placing her shoes against the couch and plopping down on the couch with a sigh.

He messes around with the finicky thermostat until it chokes out some cool air from the vents in the ceiling above, battling against the humidity in his two bedroom home.

“What can I get you? I’ve got beer, Gatorade, tap and—

“Orange juice?” Freya asks as she lays down on the couch, one arm is held up and over her head, eyes closed for a moment.

“Yeah I’ve got that too,” Richie responds from around the corner in his kitchen.

It’s about ten minutes until eleven and Freya is all yawns as Richie arrives back into the living room, holding two red cups, one filled with ice and OJ just how Freya likes it and one just filled with the orange liquid. He sits down beside her as she sits up and moves over to give the man some room in his own house.

She’s gulping the cold juice down and licks at the top of her lip before placing it down on the side table, “you need coasters.”

“Ah, just use some toilet paper.”

Freya crinkles her nose, pressing her fist into the side of her head as she rests back against the couch, just eyeing Richie who is looking forward at everything else but her. The cold air is wheezing but there’s relief filling the room, in contrast to what Richie maybe feeling.

“This silence is killing me, Richard!” Freya pokes his thigh with her seashell painted toe, “just talk to me already, will you?”

“Okay…how’s the birthday going?”

Freya honestly says, “I’m a little sad my mum didn’t call.”

That gets Richie to look at Freya then. Although their friendship was still fairly new, he knew that seemed unlikely for Freya’s mother out in North London to forget her eldest’ birthday. Of course it was possible, Richie didn’t have the best relationship with his own neglectful mother, hasn’t spoken to her in years or knows where she even fucked off to but it seemed like Freya at least communicated with her mother across the ocean on a daily basis.

“Has your brother or sister been in contact with her?”

“Oh yeah, she was in the background on FaceTime with my sister. Not even a hello but it’s probably because I told her I couldn’t send her any money a few weeks ago. Whatever.” Freya shrugs her shoulders.

She was a dental hygienist assistant and didn’t care for her job much but the pay and benefits were decent enough in this economy.

Freya was originally born in Algiers to a father that worked in labor and manufacturing while her mother was a stay at home mom, mostly due to a disability she faced as a child. Money wasn’t the best growing up so it wasn’t until Freya was about twelve when her father moved her, her mother, and her baby sister to London where they stayed with Freya’s maternal aunt for a few months until they got into their own flat. Her brother stayed with her father for awhile until they soon started making their visits.

Eventually her father decided to let the brother stay there while he continued making money and hoping for better work in London. However there were a few opportunities but it seemed like Freya’s father kept turning it down, just to find out he was participating in extramarital affairs behind her mother’s back. Not long after that, her mother stepped up to work with aching joints at a sporting goods store to provide for her three kids.

Freya as the eldest was also used to working underneath the table so it was no different in the UK. She learned quickly how to provide for her family too.

After that they learned her father had fallen ill due to his diabetes and needed his leg amputated. When Freya was twenty-one and living in Toronto with a boyfriend, he was living in London with his sister-in-law and died from congestive heart failure. Freya’s upbringing wasn’t always so cloudy, there were sweet moments with her parents that she liked to hold dear to her heart but the reality is, you’ll always bring something from your childhood into your adulthood good or bad.

“I’m sorry. That sucks ass forreal.” Richie comments and Freya just deeply inhales.

“You know what else sucks?” She exhales, “Not having you around to talk to.”

Richie presses his elbows into his knees in thought, “I uh—I’m sorry about that too. I didn’t mean to, what did you say back at the spot? Ghost you? Yeah. I didn’t mean to do that, I was just dealing with some shit inside that didn’t really have anything to do with you.”

“So the sex wasn’t trash and I didn’t scare you off?”

“What? Are you kidding?!” Richie’s wide-eyed as he quickly looks back at Freya, who’s face is full of a smirk, that it makes the dent on the center of her chin more prominent.

He soon laughs, “you’re fucken annoying you know that?”

“I’m supposed to be. You’ve met your match,” Freya winks.

“It—I’m gonna be real with you. I panicked because it was you on top of—it was you—and not just some random one night stand. With those I never really felt anything unfortunately for me but with you—

“It was like the Fourth of July-ly-ly.”

Richie scoffs and rolls his eyes, “I’m all here for your confidence in my skills truly but shut up.”

Who was being annoying now? She was clearly talking about herself but whatever floats this man’s boat—which she already knew—BUT she’ll save you guys the details.

“I’ve been quiet for months and I’m just trying to help fill in the gaps, sheesh!” Freya flicks her black parted hair back over her shoulders.

Richie shakes his head at the thirty something year old woman who didn’t mind rambling even when she wasn’t tipsy.

“It’s just you know, I didn’t think I would ever feel something again after the d—the thing with tiff.”

Richie still couldn’t say it, although Tiffany was officially steering her life in the direction of a another man. He still couldn’t say “divorce” because then that would mean he would have to start his own healing of a end of a special era with a woman he deeply loved and created a precious life with.

It just fizzled out and damn it hurt.

“And you did with me,” Freya voiced and was understanding, “glad to know that wasn’t only one sided.”

Richie finds himself asking, “Did you tell that no good locked up son of a bitch about it?”

Freya’s ex was some abusive guy that landed himself in jail right after New Years and it wasn’t for him stalking, harassing, or hitting Freya. It was from attempted armed robbery and now he was serving time for it and Freya finally felt like she could breathe for once.

Richie knew the feeling of being held back.

Counting your breaths are actually helpful, shout-out to anger management!

“No. Did you?”

“That jagoff can choke!”

“I mean, did you tell Tiffany?”

“Fuck no! I needed to see how we were feeling about it first and it’s not like she tells me her every move—besides her getting engaged to some other guy.” Richie’s almost glaring now at the fact of the matter before fixing his tone some, “Which I guess she gets points for letting me know and if the bastard is gonna be around my kid full-time.”

Freya spoke, “You just never thought there would be someone else. I get it.”

“Never! For either of us, then you came along and then came Frank and it’s a constant loop of emotions but I’m happy to be in Eva’s life and to feel something other than dread when I step into the original bear.” Richie’s plucking his nail against the plastic cup, slightly anxious at being this vulnerable.

However Freya wasn’t one to judge much, sure she had her opinions and can get loud from time to time when she’s pissed off or passionate but she was usually open to hearing all perspectives before she said her peace. Richie’s view was not one she spoke much on, she listened, really listened like he needed someone to and offered words when it was time for him to hear them.

“That’s something to look forward to.”

“Yeah but I still miss you.” Richie rubbed at his face before saying, “I miss our friendship and I don’t know what to do about us after what we did…yet somethin’ inside is telling me that nows not really the time to be jumping into anything. I’m just figuring things out and I know that’s gotta count for something.”

“Which is fine, richie!” Freya says with a light shove to his shoulder, “I wasn’t chasing you down to force you to be with me or anything! I gave you the space you clearly needed. I know we both got our own shit to deal with but being with you helps put that on pause for awhile …even if it’s as friends. I’m here whenever you need me, you wanna vent and scream about shit, have at it. You don’t wanna talk? Let’s have a dance party instead. If you need a shoulder to cry on, I’ve got two, take your pick!”

Richie snorts at this but he honestly appreciates it. He almost forgot what it felt like to have a friend.

“Just don’t cancel me out for months at a time, and expect things to be normal without a conversation, you hear me you prick? I’m your friend, you can talk to me ya know? I want you to feel safe with me, confide in me.” Freya holds Richie’s navy eyes against her ink colored ones and Richie has to slap a hand over his mouth to hold back a sob.

Richie chokes out, “ugh! Why are you making me feel things?!”

“Because it’s cancer season and I love and respect our friendship. You held me down in my lowest and I’m gonna keep uplifting you during yours and your growth.” Freya places a hand over the one that’s resting on Richie’s own knee.

Freya goes on, “It’s not our time to be romantically involved and I’m quite okay with that but that doesn’t mean I suddenly stop caring for you.”

Richie pressed his chin into his shoulder, staring at her underneath his lashes, “Wow…you sure you don’t wanna make-out just to confirm that?”

“I knew you liked how I look in this dress.” Freya playfully runs her nails through his buzzed hair, “say it back though, tell me you care just as much.”

There’s that “words of affirmation” shit people talk about right? Garrett would probably find this amusing.

He gently rests a rough hand against her cheek, “You know I do but I’m gonna say it anyways since you wanna be mushy as fuck right now. Thanks for everything and coming into my life, I care a lot about you and us. Your heart is beautiful and you’re my friend who also happens to be a total smoke show! I know you must feel amazing in that dress, you wear it well.”

“Thanks, good looking!” She winks.

“Act like you know,” Richie smirks.

“Oh, please!”

Richie hyped himself up with a roll of his shoulders, “Look good, feel good.”

They share a laugh staring at each other with Freya balled up beside him and Richie just enjoying her company. He wasn’t sure what to make of this but he didn’t have to have all the answers tonight. This Freya also confirmed.

He was just happy to be around her again and to have her be part of his journey.

She pops up then, “Can we make cookies?”

“Didn’t you just have some back at the restaurant?” Richie asks before saying, “It’s 92 degrees outside, no!”

“That was much earlier, though.” Freya argues, eyes darting to the side as she thinks about it.

It really was a lovely day to spend her birthday, although she wasn’t on a boat somewhere in Monaco or Miami…it was a somewhat chill day.

“Didn’t you already have some cookies at the restaurant?”

He knew she was a hungry drunk but she was nowhere near drunk, shockingly on her day.

“So? If you don’t know how to make some basic chocolate chip cookies just say that.”

Richie scoffed, “What?! Who said that? I make the best got damn cookies ever, just ask Eva.”

“She’s probably sleeping?”

“…fuck, you’re right.”

He definitely would have called her up if it wasn’t passed her bedtime.

“Well? What’re you waiting for?” She kicks his thigh again.

Richie pressed his forehead against Freya’s as he hollered, “Game on, Queen Elizabeth!”

“Don’t you ever!” She tapped his jaw and pointed at him.

Richie moved his jaw along blinking, “I’m sorry! I forgot.”

Thats how the late night evening included making homemade cookies, with Richie hovering over his phone trying to read off ingredients to Freya as they made a mess of his kitchen.

“Where’s the dark chocolate?” Freya searched Richie’s cabinets and drawers while Richie tried to keep his eyes away from the kitchen door, where he had Freya propped up against with him down on his knees.

“What? I said salt?” Richie’s eyes followed the woman as she moved around the kitchen as if she were being timed, “I dunno where the hell you got dark chocolate from.”

“We can do dark chocolate since it’s superior and a pinch of sea salt?”

Lines appeared against the skin of Richie’s forehead as he raised his brows, “How about hell no, Betty Crocker?”

“Who made you the number one cookie critic?” Freya gibed as she gently closed the drawers shut with her hips.

Richie taunts, “your mother!”

Middle fingers and a sarcastic smile later were handed right over to the 6’1 man, “Piss off, Richard!”

“Well…whadda want to do? Eva and I ate up all the last of the candy I had here. She might be coming to see you soon actually but don’t tell tiff that if you happen to see her, alright?” Richie slaps the palms of his hands against his kitchen counter.

Freya let’s out a dramatic sigh as she begins pacing on her side of the counter. She stops to lean her elbows against the counter and looks at the plastic large bowl in front of richie. Still sighing Freya reaches over to use the smaller spoon that was off to the side to dip into the batter.

Hey, Freya was no baker or chef but she liked looking at the consistency and details of things. Turning it to show to Richie, she takes one finger and flicks the spoon back so the batter can fling forward and stick right on Richie’s nose.

She’s cackling at the image of Richie closing his eyes shut in disbelief. His tongue goes out then to lick some of it off before swiping it away with his fingertips. He stares hard at a laughing Freya, who has her head thrown back, hugging herself while Richie is focused on his next move.

He’s carefully taking his jacket off now, smoothing it down before using his long limbs to toss it over at the dining table top on his right. Freya doesn’t notice this as she’s wiping the corners of her wing-lined eyes, still closed as she’s almost snorting now, skin of her nostrils sinking in a bit, like she’s squidward or some shit as she carries on laughing.

“You think you’re so funny don’t you?” Richie asks with a palm full of flour now.

She’s still laughing as she nods her head, too full of giggles to get any words out.

Instead of Richie sprinkling some salt, he throws flour across the counter right to the side of Freya’s face, “Well I’m funnier, asshole!”

That gets Freya to stop laughing then. She stands up straight and it’s Richie’s turn to fail to cover his own laughter with his fist.

It was on then.

A flour fight began between the two friends, coating most of the kitchen with white powder.

“I think you threw salt in my eye you turd?!” Freya’s holding her eye now, after this has gone on for at least ten minutes.

“Shit, I’m sorry! Everything is starting to look the same.” Richie’s coming to her aide now, fanning the air as he steps to her, hands reaching for her forearms, “let me see.”

Freya fools him, “Gotcha!” Before whacking him in the neck with a whisk.

“Ow! Hey you’re fighting dirty, Frey!” Richie scolds before snatching a wooden spoon making Freya eye him wildly, “uh huh let me see you try to win this battle now.”

“I’m definitely gonna win, whether you like it not, Richy Rich.” Freya got low, ready to aim at Richie’s torso since she had that to her advantage being shorter than him.

Richie blows a raspberry, tapping the wooden spoon against the palm of his hand, “you must not know the strength of a wooden spoon and my wrestling skills, sweetheart. I got the team to championships!”

“When? In 1948?”

Richie tightens his eyes at this before they’re in a fencing match now. Which doesn’t last long as one of the two lost their footing due to the flour covered floor.

“I think I broke my ass.” Richie groans holding his back.

Freya’s laughing again as she’s resting right on top of Richie, “I’m glad I don’t have that problem, flat ass.”

“I don’t appreciate you slandering what I lack, some of us weren’t blessed okay?” Richie sasses as he wraps a hand around Freya’s waist to sit them both up.

Freya cooed at him, pinching his cheeks while Richie rolls his eyes. They sit in silence with freya on his lap as they take in the sight of his kitchen now. Flour on the upper cabinets, flour even on Eva’s personal drawing table, flour of course covering the counter, flour all over the floor, hair, face and their clothes.

“Great…now I gotta clean this up!”

“Eh, maybe later yeah?”

“Later? Well what else do you have in mind since we didn’t actually make those cookies you wanted so bad?” Richie waved his hands about.

Freya makes an explosion in front of Richie’s face, his round eyes following her fingertips for a moment before she says close to his face, “I have a better idea, it’s actually a good one.”

Richie was half expecting Freya to get him to break out into a dance routine like last time to Madonna’s, “Material girl,” but he was sure the man above was probably tired of their shenanigans tonight.

So that’s how he ended up here, covered in flour with him watching as Freya made herself comfortable on his couch again, head pressed against her folded up hands.

One eye pops open almost like a jumpscare, “are you gonna stand there the entire night like a creeper and just watch me sleep or are you going to join me, Richie Lawrence?”

Richie scratches at his head in confusion, “stop with the whole middle-name name drop, you’re making me think of my bastard dad. And I’m not sure what you want me to do here?”

“Make yourself comfortable, it’s your house.”

“There’s a bed on the other side and a shower…”

“So you’re gonna make more suggestions on my birthday but then say respectfully a romantic relationship isn’t what you want out of this on my birthday? It sounds like you want to give me a certain gift on my birthday to end this birthday party.” Freya rambles, now sitting up on her elbow.

Richie squints, “how many times did you just say birthday?”

“Get over here!”

“God, you’re getting bossy in your old age.” Richie jokes as he sits down by Freya’s legs, who swings them to the floor so Richie can scoot in behind her.

He keeps his hands and feet where he can see them, staring at the back of Freya’s head and he can smell her sweet but floral scent. Richie takes the time to digest how this feels, with Freya in front of him radiating off a comforting warmth even when she snatches his arm to rest against her waist.

Richie is just waiting then for the anxiety to kick in but it doesn’t arrive for the rest of the night. Which makes him sink further into the couch, tightening his hold of Freya. His nose then presses down into her bare soft shoulder blade, right where her round mole sits and exhales.

“I’m proud of you.” Freya croaks out, ready for sleep, “and you should be too.”

And that makes Richie’s heart swell. He always wanted to be good at something but wasn’t sure how to make a career out of it. He had to find his footing in this world constantly and slowly he felt like he was beginning to locate it. They say it’s in your daily routine if you’re unsure and engaging with all sorts of people was something richie didn’t mind being part of.

It felt natural to him.

Holding Freya felt just the same but she didn’t need to know that just yet. He loved physical touch whether you were his family or not, it was the best form of love Richie wanted to give and receive.

He didn’t realize he squeezed her tighter against him at her words before he presses a kiss to the back of her head, “Happy birthday.”

A smile graces her lips.

In the early hours of July 11th, the sky a faded dim blue begins to peak through Richie’s living room curtains, revealing that a new day was among them.

Richie’s always been a early riser since sleep hardly existed according to the bags underneath his eyes. It had to be around 5 in the morning and he knew he would be ready for some coffee soon but this time he enjoys the silence. He feels Freya roll back against him, arm looping around his neck as she stretches in her sleep.

“Morning to you too,” Richie greets, “Question for ya, how’s bell-pep the iguana doin’?”

You heard that right, Freya was a “Guana-momma,” who she named after a vegetable specifically and Richie was ready to baby sit the guy at any time—as long as it didn’t freak Eva out too much but he doubted that. She had his blood in her veins.

Freya shushed him straight away, removing her arm from around his neck to curl that same arm to press the back of her fingers against his lips, “When I step up in the place, ayo, I step correct.” She starts before moving those fingers to create a wave up in the air.

It only made sense to Richie for her to be rounding off lyrics early in the morning, especially when he was asking questions and she wasn’t sure if she even knew her name just yet.

“Woo-hah, got them all in check.” Richie proceeds, head lifting a little to see if Freya’s eyes were even open as she rounded off lyrics.

Freya concludes, “Go to sleep.”

Enough said.

“I’ll try.”

The sight of flour sticky limbs entangled between two reconnected friends on another summer’s day went like this: cheek pressed against her’s, his facial hair pricking her skin which she didn’t seem to mind as snores actually escaped Richie’s lips, with his hand gripping Freya’s that was clutched to her own chest as their bodies gently rose in deep slumber.

The cares of the outside world were put on hold once more and Richie envisioned that this must be what heaven felt like. Nothing but a bit of light right in front of his eyes or in his arms to lead the way.

Cheers to some fucking clarity!

Sorry for the foul language dude or person or divine power up there…but Richie was thankful for it all.

꒰ ° ꒱** ༉‧₊˚✧ ↝ ꒰ ° ꒱** ༉‧₊˚✧ ↝ ꒰ ° ꒱** ༉‧₊˚✧ ↝ ꒰ ° ꒱**

Continue along with my summer anthology prompts here.

#Spotify #the bear #the bear hulu #the bear fx #Richie jerimovich #richard jerimovich #richie jerimovich x reader #richie jerimovich x oc #ebon moss bachrach #neil fak #natalie berzatto #sugar berzatto #carmy berzatto #sydney amadu #summer prompts #queued #the bear s2 #the bear season 2

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eco-lite · 8 months

Text

Finally finished volume 4! Here are my many, many thoughts:

“???”

* Holy shit, Seigi, you have got it so bad for Richard. I’m begging you, please do some self-analysis!

* Noooo not the pomegranate tree that represents Seigi and Richard’s relationshippp. 😫😫😫

* I feel like Richard’s last advice to Seigi was actually for himself.

* Seigi refusing to drink tea with Saul from the cups he and Richard would use. 😢 The pining is so strong.

* HE SAID IT. 👁️

* “Just because I spend every waking moment thinking about him, just because my heart skips a beat every time I lay eyes on his face, just because I’m having dreams about him kissing me every night, it doesn’t mean I’m in love with him” (21). JESUS FUCKING CHRIST.

* “‘Now, tell me, what happens to a young man flying on the wings of romantic dreams when he slams into the cold hard wall of reality? His delicate shell smashes into a million little pieces, scattering his contents every which way, just like an egg thrown against concrete!’” (22). I think Saul is talking about both Seigi and Richard here.

* “Was I being an emotional two-timing bastard without even realizing it?” (33). Lol kinda.

* Badass!Seigi let’s gooooo!

* You are absolutely not giving up, Seigi! Now is the time to take Richard’s advice that was so bad about Tanimoto but so good in this situation. Go to him!

* Tanimoto is actually really emotionally intelligent. I adore this scene between her and Seigi. Seigi really just needed to talk through his feelings, huh?

* So Seigi can admit to Saul that he loves Richard, but can’t admit to himself that it’s in a romantic way. I agree that the lines between friendship and romance can get blurry—I’ve experienced it myself—but everything Seigi is saying about his feelings since Richard left him are so romance coded. Like, clearly Tsujimura wants us to think Seigi is in love with him.

* Please please can Seigi call Richard an idiot to his face? I need to see his expression.

“The Secret of Alexandrite”

* I don’t trust anyone who uses the word “brouhaha” unironically… Or who talks and talks and talks without letting the other person say more than a single sentence. Or calls England the land of Harry Potter. 🤮

* Richard’s father is an entomologist. 🙂 Let’s go bugs! 🙂

* I’m pretty surprised that Seigi explains his Richard kissing dream so plainly to Jeffrey.

* “Was even death not enough to quell the fury of the xenophobic seventh Earl of Claremont?” (103). Oh Seigi, my sweet naïve child. Nobody is as xenophobic as the British aristocracy. “‘It’s an iron-clad wall of bigotry’” (106). HA.

* “It didn’t seem to have occurred to him that the four years Richard had spent ‘running away’ was really just ‘moving’ and ‘having a career’” (115). Idk why I find this so funny. It’s not even sarcastic—it’s just facts.

* Frankly, fuck you, Jeffrey. It’s been a while since I watched the anime, but I remember Jeffrey being a lot more goofy and sympathetic than this. Either they toned him down for the show or I had severe fandom brain. (Okay, I forgot he was just trying to protect Henry, but he’s still an ass!)

* “He was looking at me with an expression of pure joy. It was the same look you’d give a beloved pet when you’re thinking, ‘Man, what a stupid little guy you are’” (130). Lol I have made this face many times at my dog. Love her so much!

“Follow the Lapis Lazuli”

* Richard leaving secret notes and showing up at the museum in drag is so iconic. What a drama queen.

* Me whenever Richard calls Seigi “my knight in shining armor”: 😳😳😳

* Nurse!Richard unlocked

* Richard hugging Seigi and squeezing him till it hurts 🥲

* “Richard enunciated the two-word idiom with the precision of a vocabulary exercise. I don’t think I’d ever heard someone say ‘Eat shit,’ with such clear and perfect intonation. He put his whole body into that one” (161). Richard, I love you so much for this. The way this paragraph was translated too, is just so hilarious.

* Wow, I’m getting really emotional about Richard taking care of Seigi like this. Please can somebody do this for me?

* Richard’s violent responses to boys confessing their romantic attraction to him is interesting. Although Richard never directly says that he’s bi, he doesn’t shut down the idea that he could be attracted to a man. But I feel like that conclusion has come after a lot of struggle with internalized homophobia. The British aristocracy is not known for being accepting of queerness, and since we know what a racist shit bag Richard’s great-grandfather was, I doubt his family had a history of accepting other forms of difference. Richard says he’s struggled with the boundaries of friendship. Maybe because he did feel romantic attraction to those friends. But he ended up lashing out once the other boy would acknowledge the romantic nature of his actions, because he couldn’t accept that he was also attracted to these boys. That would be wrong. I think it’s only once he distanced himself from his family that Richard was able to analyze his feelings with a more open minded perspective.

“The Gospel of White Sapphire”

* Even though I know Seigi has a plan, it’s still very unsettling to see him going along with Jeffrey so convincingly. And poor Richard is so confused and betrayed. 😞

* Instead of Seigi’s whole life flashing before his eyes as he prepares to destroy the diamond, it’s just the moments he felt closest to Richard. 🥲

* Okay Seigi wtf? After all this time and everything he’s done for you? Why can you not see that Richard cares about you very much? How the fuck could you possibly think that he could just move on after you got thrown in prison for saving him from the stupid will? Freaking delusional! And giving him the pudding recipe?! I need to shake this man like a rag doll.

* Richard. You cannot say things like “When you threw that stone, it rekindled my love for you,” and then be like “haha just kidding.” No.

* “When Richard finished, he gently raised his right hand and placed it on my cheek. The same hand he so carefully handled gemstones with. It was soft, and cold, and tender” (227). I got fucking chills!

* Pages 224-229. 🥹🥹🥹 Tsujimura’s writing is so beautiful here. They crafted this intimate moment so well.

* This situation where Richard and Seigi both did incomprehensible things in order to protect the other is giving me serious Good Omens vibes. At least Richard and Seigi are a hell of a lot better at communicating than Aziraphale and Crowley!

* Seigi making Richard pudding to cheer him up right after the conversation in which Richard told him not to over exert himself trying to be useful and make others happy. But Seigi himself said that when Richard is happy, Seigi is happy. So I guess there truly aren’t anything lengths Seigi wouldn’t go to to ensure Richard’s happiness. I mean, he was prepared to take on £300 million in debt and go to prison if it meant Richard could be happy with someone else. So…

* It’s good to know that Seigi doesn’t call his mom “Hiromi” because of some falling out they had. They don’t seem particularly close now, but at least they’re on good terms.

* “We talked about the things that scared us—for me, it was my family members’ tears, and for Richard, it was the mirror” (253). Heart crushed at my feet omg Richard 😢

* They literally exchanged rings and are being so sweet I’m dhdjdjdk

* “I shut my mouth and straightened up, and Richard touched my cheek with his hand. At least, I think it was his hand. It was probably his hand. His blond hair tickled my ear and then pulled away again” (262). HAHAHAHHAAAAAA

* For real though, Seigi works so well as an unreliable narrator because he’s not purposedfully misleading the reader. He genuinely is so self-deluded about his relationship with Richard.

* “Honestly, I was pretty sure that what touched my cheek earlier wasn’t his hand. But I decided to pretend that it was. I didn’t think my heart could take the alternative” (263). OH GOD.

* Richard saying “Oh, you sweet summer child,” to Seigi is too good. I’ve said that about Seigi my head so many times.

* After Richard teases Seigi that he and Tanimoto might become a couple if Seigi introduced them: “Richard cocked his head to the side. His seductive gaze was dripping with allure. I never knew he was such a ladykiller” (268). SEIGI. Just who is Richard staring at with that seductive gaze? Certainly not any ladies! 🙄

* Seigi’s subconscious truly knows more than he does. Every time he says something that expresses his true feelings about Richard, or acknowledges Richard’s feelings for him, he suddenly starts thinking about Tanimoto. Hmmm interesting. Seigi knows that he and Richard love each other, but his brain can’t put a label on what kind of love that is. It’s much easier to think about Tanimoto, who Seigi does understand his feelings for.

* God, that chapter was an absolute whirlwind. I can’t believe almost all of that happened in a single day. What a ride!

“The Bicolor Tourmaline Tease”

* First of all, this title is incredible

* Wow, Tsujimura didn’t keep us waiting at all for Richard’s return lol

* This whole volume I thought the stone on the cover was supposed to represent Jeffrey’s color-shifting alexandrite lapel pin, but apparently it’s this metaphor-rich tourmaline!

* Seigi is not into this roleplay lol

* Seigi dishes out compliments and sentimental shit to Richard all the time but he absolutely cannot take them in return. 😂

* This is really too much Richard, omg

* “‘While I can’t understand it myself, you seem to enjoy lavishing me with praise. Consequently, I do not mind you doing so. In much the same way, I would like to indulge in the sweets I love to the greatest extent my health might permit, I implore you to praise me unabashedly to your heart’s content. But in return, I eagerly await the day that praising you will bring me such joy, Seigi’” (288). I’m going fucking feral over this.

* “‘Now, what we’re you talking about, Richard? You had the audacity to call me, the man to whom you owe your life, to Japan, asking me to step in to take care of the Ginza shop ‘indefinitely,’ and what’s the first thing you do when you come back? Flirt with the part-timer?’” (291). GSJDKDK SAUL I LOVE YOU

* DID SAUL AND SEIGI PLAN THIS?? WTF

* I can’t tell if that story took years off my life due to stress, or extended my life due to sheer joy. That was pure chaos and I loved every second of it.

“Overcast Iolite”

* A nice quiet story in which Richard tries to encourage Seigi in his own way. And of course, an interesting history lesson.

“Moonstone’s Affection”

* It makes me very happy that Seigi and Richard have dinner together on Saturdays now.

* NOT “THE MOON IS BEAUTIFUL, ISN’T IT?” 👀👀👀 And Richard brought up Natsume Souseki so he knows.

* Oh god, Richard said it too. Honey…

* WAIT SEIGI KNOWS WHAT IT MEANS

* I don’t think I can handle this new era of Seigi complimenting Richard so freely.

This volume was beautiful but such a fucking whirlwind! Can’t wait to start #5 tomorrow!

#the case files of jeweler richard #jeweler richard #tsujimura nanako #nakata seigi #richard ranasinghe de vulpian

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xopinkroses · 2 years

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Girls Night♥

(Lady, Trish and Dante x Fem!Reader)

Summary; Trish has never had a girls night– You and Lady are on a mission to change that. Dante is just being dragged along for the ride. Word Count; 1363 Warning; Some swearing but other than that nothing!

MASTERLIST🌸

When Lady bursts through your door like a woman on a mission you know it’s going to be a good day. Normally she comes to you with interesting jobs or even some gossip, but today she has something different to say.

“We’re having a girls night– you’re coming.”

No questions, no ifs, ands or buts. Lady says you’re going so you know there’s no point in arguing. You throw yourself down on your couch and stretch out your legs. “What’s the occasion?” You ask.

Lady lifts up your legs before sliding underneath to hold them in her lap as she sits down, all in one fluid motion. “I was on a job with Trish,” She says. “And we got talking while cleaning up afterwards– did you know she’s never had a girls night?”

Sadly, it makes sense. Trish doesn’t exactly have many friends other than you guys. Despite deserving the world and then some, being a demon tends to make friendships complicated. It had never really occurred to you just how young Trish really is. Sure, she looks like a fully grown woman, but in reality, she is younger than Nero– hell, she’s younger than Patty. A thought that thoroughly creeps you out.

It doesn’t take long for you and Lady to be on the same wavelength and within just a few hours, you’ve organised everything that you might need for tonight. Your arsenal consists of snacks, movies and face masks. You make sure to pick up a copy of Mean Girls when you realise Trish probably hasn’t seen it. It’ll do her good to immerse herself in some pop culture, you also broke out The Craft specifically for the occasion. You have everything all set up in your living room, blankets and pillows strewn over the floor.

You and Lady are buzzing with excitement, waiting for Trish to finish up at Devil May Cry and arrive. Something you aren’t prepared for, is Trish arriving with a struggling Dante in her grasp. You know he can break out of her grip if he really wanted to, and roll your eyes at his dramatics, fighting off a smile.

“So- uhhh, what part of girls night didn’t you get?” Lady asks, eyeing Dante up and down with confusion.

“It felt weird leaving him alone at the shop,” Trish confesses sheepishly. Your heart swelled, for a demon; Trish had more care for others than most humans. Not wanting to embarrass your friend, you grab onto Dante’s other arm and drag him over to the couch with Trish’s help.

“Well, I guess you’re one of the girls now!”

Dante allows himself to be thrown on the couch, it creaks in protest under his weight but thankfully stays in one piece. Clearly he realises that resistance is futile and sprawls out over all three seats, an arm stretching behind his head lazily– only for his relaxing position to be compromised by Trish, who ushers him into a sitting position so she can sit beside him. He huffs, making Trish smirk.

The two look extremely out of place in your living room, you think. Decked out in leather and weapon holsters. What they thought they'd need them for tonight is a mystery. You share a look with Lady, having to peer around the two taller hunters to do so, and you both seem to be coming to the same conclusion. Trish and Dante's outfits are not dress code appropriate.

Thankfully you have some of Dante’s old clothes in your closet from times he had crashed at your apartment after finishing a hard day's work. Lady wiggles her eyebrows at you when you announce this little fact, making your cheeks burn and a glare to settle on your face. Dante laughs and throws an arm around your shoulder, leaning all of his weight on top of you.

“Don’t get all embarrassed, babe!”

You laugh despite yourself as you fight to hold his weight, and fail horribly– resulting in you falling over. Dante catches you before you hit the ground and playfully twirls you back on your feet.

Trish just borrows a pair of your pyjamas, shorts and a top. You could literally dress this woman in anything and she’ll look like a damn supermodel. You've never seen her in anything other than her usual gear, it's surreal seeing her sitting on your couch in a pair of comfortable pyjamas. Somehow she still manages to look elegant in her positioning, legs crossed and arm leaning against the arm rest.

"So," she says, examining her nails, glossy and perfectly shaped as always. "What exactly do people do for a girls night? I've heard a few things but I figured pillow fights and talking about boys is a bit juvenile, and partying all night isn't really your style."

"We're just going to have a chill night together," You assure her. "We've got movies and snacks, and we're going to do face masks!"

It's not much, but it's the best you could do on such short notice when you're toeing the poverty line. Trish doesn't seem to mind, she seems more confused than anything. As a demon, she's never used a face mask in her life.

"What movies did you pick out? If I'd known we'd be doing this I'd have brought out my movie collection!"

A collection consisting solely of niche Chinese action movies and so bad they're good horror movies (usually involving demons or hell to some degree). And while you love Dante and respect his taste (you've watched all of those movies with him at least once) you want to make Trish's first girls night memorable. So chick flicks it is! Dante groans at your choices but doesn't argue, he's all talk and you know it– who doesn't like mean girls?

Applying a face mask to Dante is an interesting experience. He's borderline afraid to let you touch his face at first, but slowly starts to relax when the cool feeling of your fingers start massaging product over his skin. Trish has much a similar reaction, but lets Lady apply the face mask without complaint.

"What's the point of this?" She asks curiously. "It's not like I actually need to put much effort into my skin."

"It's not always about cleaning your face," you say, careful not to get any product in Dante's hair. "Sometimes it can just make you feel good to pamper yourself a bit."

Trish considers your answer with a thoughtful hum, "That makes sense."

You end up cuddling up next to Trish on the couch with your legs in Dante's lap, Lady is sitting on the floor with her back leaning against one of Dante's legs. You keep a running commentary during the movies, able to quote them word for word with Lady. Dante, even after all his huffing earlier, laughs at every joke and joins in.

Trish laughs quietly from time to time, but otherwise remains silent. You look up at her, worried that she might not be having a good time. You see her smiling down at you already, ice blue eyes thawed out. "Thanks for this, you guys," she says. "This is nice, I feel… almost human."

"Any time," Lady remarks before throwing a handful of popcorn at the blonde. "And shut up on that 'human' trash– we care about you anyway, demon or not, dumbass."

Picking some popcorn out of your hair, you toss it at Dante who catches it in his mouth and winks. "We should do this more often," you say. "Hang out without a job involved, we don't do that enough." To which all three of your friends nod their agreements.

It's around 3am when you fall asleep with your head resting on Trish's shoulder, Lady had come up to join you a while ago and is sandwiched between you and Dante. She nuzzles into your side, stubbornly trying to keep her eyes open.

Dante looks down at you three, some of the most important people in his life, and smiles. Trish catches his eye, "Are you glad I dragged you here now?"

"Yeah," He says, carefully getting comfortable with both you and Lady half laying on him. "I am."

~ 🖤

#devil may cry #devil may cry x reader #dmc #dmc x reader #dante x reader #dmc headcanons #dmc imagines #lady x reader #trish dmc #trish x reader #lady dmc

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yyunari · 1 year

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﹠ 🐰﹕ꕤ﹔ animal noises ! 一 양정원 ᯭ ˓˓ a yang jungwon fic wc. 1.8k

❝ i guess i’m getting too old for this ❞

៸៸ as time passed, y/n and jungwon’s similarities became too overbearing ៹ WARNINGS ⇢ angst, minor character death

( A/N ) it’s been a long time since i’ve written ! this fic is inspired by my current feelings on growing up, i’m turning 18 this year & it doesn’t feel like a reality :(( but pls enjoy this jungwon fic while i find more inspiration to write ! <3

Youth is like spring— a blossoming of new beginnings and new realizations. As a new season arrives, and as we mature, changes occurs all around us. Whether or not we like them, change is inevitable and a product of the circumstances that cause it.

Youth is… fleeting. No matter how much we try to preserve it, it will never stay. We realize the good times will never last. But as the next season starts to take form, it passes by in a flash. We realize that once the good times have already passed. And once we realize that, it’s too late, and the leaves fall off from the trees.

Y/N felt pride with her current youth. She knew that it would be over sooner rather than later, and she wanted to enjoy what she could while she was still able to. It was a stark difference from how her peers acted. While there was a rush for people her age to grow up faster, Y/N preferred to relish in the serenity and comfort that her teenage years provided. It was something that made her feel happier each day, and made it easier for her to live her life stress free.

Many other people her age would disagree and say that youth was repressing and overly angsty. But to Y/N, she was lucky enough to look past all that and choose to live her life the way she wanted. Call her privileged or snobby, it wasn’t as if it was anything she would deny. However, there was someone who lived their life exactly the way Y/N did.

Yang Jungwon, a worker at the cafe near Y/N’s university.

He was the type to sit customers down when they were having a bad day and talk them through it. He was the type to spend time making cute drawings and messages on the sides of people’s cups. He was the type to live the way he wanted to live, and not by other people’s terms.

To Y/N, Jungwon was like a breath of fresh air from a world that moved faster than she wanted it to.

Perhaps it was his bright smile, his charming personality, or the fact that he had the same ideals as her. Whatever it was, Y/N constantly found her eyes drawn to the cafe worker. No matter what situation she was in, her gaze never failed to wander to him.

But she didn’t mind. Jungwon was, for a lack of better words, refreshing.

It took a while for Y/N to gain the courage to speak to Jungwon. Her roommate, Jihan, had to give her a 2 hour long pep talk before she left their apartment that day, just so she would have enough determination to walk out the door.

It was worth it, because that was the day that Y/N and Jungwon’s relationship solidified within the universe.

After their initial friendship (which was started by Y/N offering Jungwon an Aero mint), they spent time on Jungwon’s off days hanging out at various beaches and parks. Being in nature was a common middle ground between them, like many other things were. They were happy with each other, and brought out each other’s good parts. Eventually, Jungwon confessed through a packet of Aero mints. It was corny, but Y/N loved it because it reminded her of how they met.

Their relationship started off slow but passionate, with the honeymoon phase seeming to never quite end. Y/N and Jungwon spent most of their time together and didn’t falter even for a second, because they wanted everyday to be a happy one. It worked in the way that they were similar with their ideals— not wanting to rush anything and living each moment happily with their full efforts. They wanted to savor each day to its fullest and not let anything slip through the cracks. And it worked for a bit, because the two were overly in love with each other. So much so that their days were incomplete if they didn’t meet up at least once.

But the cracks were never fixed, and therefore they began to grow.

It was most apparent the day that Y/N faced her biggest tragedy, the day her mom died.

The news came rather abruptly, and her dad was very straightforward in the delivery. It was a random Tuesday when she received a call that her mom had passed in a car accident. It was as if her world had stopped turning and all the blood rushed to her feet, as she fell onto the ground in a state of intense shock.

Y/N rarely cried, but that day she cried like a baby.

Jihan couldn’t leave her roommate alone for weeks after the news came. She knew she had to be there for Y/N because no one else was willing. After all, Y/N’s dad had ghosted her after making the phone call.

Jungwon, on the other hand, was missing in action while this was all happening.

Each day, Y/N asked Jihan if Jungwon had contacted her or anything.

Each day the answer was no.

But still, Y/N wanted to stay in contact with her boyfriend so she texted him updates about how she felt each day.

The funeral was going to be held in her mom’s hometown, which was at least a 9 hour flight from where Y/N lived. And upon hearing that news, she bought a plane ticket immediately. Despite his absence, Y/N figured he still needed to know so she texted Jungwon about her flight.

And only a few hours later Jungwon was at her doorstep, shifting in place as if he hadn’t been radio silent for three weeks.

Jihan sighed when she opened the door, surprised he was there but decided to humor him for a bit. “Where have you been? Y/N’s been a mess, and her boyfriend hasn’t been doing his job.”

Jungwon pursed his lips at that. She wasn’t wrong of course, but hearing her say it out loud made him embarrassed. “I’m going to explain everything to her. Can you please just let me in?”

As much as Jihan wanted to slam the door in his face, she knew Y/N needed to talk to him so she directed him to her room.

Jungwon found his girlfriend on the floor of her room, eating Aero mints and watching Life in the Dreamhouse. He smiled sadly; because he remembered those chocolates were not only how the two of them met, but they were also her mom’s favorite.

“Y/N?”

The mourning girl paused her show the moment she heard her boyfriend’s voice, and turned around cautiously. It had been three weeks since they spoke and in that time he had been actively ignoring her. Because of that, she felt shitty. “Hi Jungwon, do you want an Aero mint?”

He smiled and sat down. “Of course. But you should stop eating so many of those, it’s unhealthy.”

Y/N handed him a chocolate and obseved his face, the one she hadn’t seen in so long. “Where have you been? I’ve missed you, and I’ve only had Jihan to lean on these days.”

“I’ve… missed you too my love.” Jungwon smiled and cupped her face. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here for you. I’m sorry I ran away. I just didn’t want our time together to be spent mourning. With the way we live our lives, I wanted to protect that and only have us see the good in each other. That’s why I don’t show my bad parts to you, and why I ran away.”

Y/N wanted to laugh. What he was saying sounded ridiculous, and she could barely believe what she was hearing. He ignored her for three weeks because he only wanted her to see his good sides? The thought process didn’t quite make sense. Her mother died, and the one person closest to her didn’t make an effort to be there. It felt like bullshit.

“You think that’s going to make me feel better? I needed people by my side, and you weren’t there.” Y/N cried out. “In what world would I be okay with that?!”

“I thought it’s what you would’ve wanted!” Jungwon yelled. “The only reason we haven’t seen each other angry or upset is because we hide it from each other.”

Y/N thought about what he said and looked down at her hands. He was right, they hid many things from each other. When Jungwon lost his job, he didn’t see Y/N for 3 days. And when Y/N failed one of her classes, the same thing happened. It was something they never spoke to each other about, but assumed it was for the best.

But at what point did pretending to be happy all the time just turn into misery?

That’s when Y/N realized the most heartbreaking discovery of her teenage years.

“I understand. It’s how we chose to live, isn’t it? If we can’t protect our ideals, were they ever even strong to begin with?” Y/N answered. “I mean, we can’t keep them solid if we can’t uphold them, right?”

“But… what are the chances we’ve been living our lives incorrectly? Maybe the issue isn’t that we’ve been too lax with our thinking, maybe the issue is our thinking.”

Jungwon felt a feeling of sadness creeping up on him with her words. “You’re not happy, are you?”

Of course not. Y/N knew she could never be happy, not until she’s moved on. It was blatantly obvious at that point.

Her mom’s death and both Jungwon and her dad ghosting her made Y/N realize that couldn’t hide behind the thinly veiled screen of comfort that was her youth. She was about to turn 20. And as her youth begun to slip away, life’s failures had become more apparent. Choosing to stay ignorant of her fleeting youth was never a choice she made to stay happy. It was her running away from something inevitable, and Jungwon was a victim of that as well.

The two of them couldn’t have a healthy relationship if they were both too blissfully ignorant to face their realities. They only reinforced each other’s bad behaviors by actively staying together.

“No Jungwon, I’m not happy. I can’t be happy because my mom is… dead. And this is something I can’t pretend never happened. Not like the other times.” Y/N answered, as she gave Jungwon a sad smile.

“What do you mean?” He asked, slightly nervous for her response.

Jungwon didn’t want to break up with Y/N, she was the one thing he looked forward to each day. However, he’d be lying if he didn’t see it coming.

Y/N sighed. “If we’re always trying to live each day to its fullest and preserve our youths, how can we move on? My mom’s death made me realize that life can never be the way I want it to be, and I need to handle these situations head on and not run away just because I want to be happier.”

“But can’t we try to fix it?” Jungwon asked in a moment of slight desperation.

“I don’t think it’ll work out. I love you Jungwon, I really do, but we’re not good for each other. We’re too similar and we influence each other in bad ways. I think it’ll be better for us if we try to better ourselves individually.

And maybe one day, we’ll find a way back to each other.”

With tears spilling out, Jungwon hesitated for a second before giving Y/N a final hug. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be better for you, and I’m sorry I didn’t try harder to understand your feelings. I love you Y/N, and I always will.”

Underneath the glossy mist of first loves and fated encounters, there was a dark void that was waiting to suck them in at any given time. There was always always an undertone of wonderings such as ‘what’s next?’. It was time for them to wipe away that mist and stop being ignorant of their impending future.

And with that, Y/N’s first love was over. An Aero mint was left alone on the floor, untouched by its owner and unwanted by the one who gave it to him.

﹫ yyunari 🁢 1.29.23

🐰 ‹ permanent taglist ! ｡ @muhwaa @hoori @yizhoutv @ja4hyvn @carayat @one16core @enhacolor @jangwonie @soobin-chois @en-boyz @ohmy-fandoms @yeongwonie @yjwonz @yunki4evr @strwberrydinosaur @duolingofanaccount @iichaeyj @eundiarys ꜜ (if u requested to be on my permanent taglist and u didn’t get tagged it’s bc i cant see ur acc, but pls dm me if u want to be in it !)

#enhypen jungwon x reader #enhypen x reader #jungwon x reader #jungwon x y/n #yang jungwon x reader #yang jungwon #jungwon #jungwon fanfic #enhypen fanfiction #enhypen jungwon #jungwon fluff #jungwon angst

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