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#but what hurt the most was the ending like.
hannieehaee · 2 days
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LOST IN STEREO
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18+ / mdi
summary: after kicking you out of your own band to seek success with the band on his own, vernon finds his plans falling through, all the while you'd reached success on your own. now leading your own label, vernon finds himself having to earn your forgiveness, not realizing how badly he'd hurt you years back.
content: friends2enemies2lovers!vernon, band!au, drummer!vernon, guitarist!reader, unrequited crush (kinda), pining, vernon kicks you out of your band bc ur a girl (asshole, ik), really incorrect music industry terminology (i know nothing about music oops), afab reader, reader becomes a producer after being kicked from vernon's band, seokmin, chan, hannie and kwannie are in the band, smut, penetrative sex, dry humping, fingering, etc.
wc: 8.8k
a/n: i know the summary and content are all over the place, but i promise the story in itself is coherent</3
masterlist | kofi/patreon
"Fuck! Jesus Christ, what are you doing here?"
He winced at the sudden sight of you upon turning a corner in the huge building he was currently exploring, never having expected to bump into you there.
"I work here, Vernon. I would've expected you to do some research on the labels you're auditioning for."
"W-wait. What do you mean you work here?"
"I'm a producer here. What? Surprised?"
"N-no!" he spluttered.
Fuck, you looked good. No, scratch that. You looked beautiful beyond belief.
How long had it been? Three? Four years?
He still felt horribly about it. You know, that whole situation in which he threw you under the bus for his own benefit – only for everything to come crashing down on him immediately after. Not only did he feel like an asshole, but also like a huge idiot. Letting go of a friendship just for a failed attempt at success would go down as the dumbest thing Vernon ever engaged in.
In his defense, he was a teenager at the time. Okay, maybe he was freshly 19, but it felt like the same thing back then. He had been an idiot who dumped his best friend and crush just for a chance in the music industry. What he had thought that to be the smartest move to make for the future of your shared band ended up becoming his greatest mistake. To this day, he still thought back on it with shame.
What sucked the most was how talented he knew you were. That, and the knowledge that he had been the sole person to blame for taking this opportunity away from you – from taking your own band away from you.
He quickly came to realize that it had been a horrible mistake, but it was too late by then. Contractually speaking, you had never really existed within the group. Your friendship had also crumbled soon after, despite your reassurance that all you wanted was the best for the band, even if that meant they'd continue on without you.
At the time, you had been the band's sole music producer, and song writer, and engineer, and you were the one who had a macbook with garage band on it, and–
"Vernon!"
Fuck. Had he been in his head this whole time?
You looked annoyed. Also way more grown and mature than when he last saw you at 19 years old. Fuck, did he mention you looked insanely hot?
"Sorry, I, uh, as I was saying," he cleared his throat, "Of course I'm not surprised. You're the most talented person I've ever known."
And Vernon truly meant his words. As teenagers, your dream to become a successful guitarist had been what inspired him to dust off his drums and go on this adventure with you, employing a few of your other friends to join your wannabe pop-punk band.
You weren't just a dreamer, like Vernon. Vernon knew you weren't just all talk. If anyone could walk the walk, it was you. With your innate ability with not only the guitar, but a myriad of other instruments, Vernon always admired you for your natural talent with music. The insane confidence you carried also did not help matters. It sure did not help the irrevocable crush he'd had on you since he met you. The air of security you always carried with you was something Vernon looked up to and was insanely attracted to. Sometimes it'd make it difficult to be around you without revealing his crush, as he would constantly swoon over your mere presence.
His feelings for you not only as a childhood friend, but also as his unrequited crush, only made the whole situation worse. At first, he dumbly thought that you understood why he had to ask you to leave the band, but it was obvious to him within only a few weeks that what his decision had done irreparable damage to your friendship.
Thinking back to it, he realized how stupid it was for him to even consider joining a label that denied your entrance simply due to your gender. Attempting to create the image the label had wanted to force on them should've been the first red flag. Taking Vernon aside to talk him into kicking you out should've been more than enough for Vernon to break out and whisk you away from a label that clearly didn't deserve you.
Sadly, Vernon had been too invested in making it big at the time. He truly would've given anything to find success as a musician as soon as possible – and apparently you should've taken those words literally.
It had been about a year since you first started the band at that point. Your very low budget garage band consisted of you, Vernon, and a few of your friends. Vernon was on drums, you on guitar, Hannie was bass, Kwan main vocals, Seokmin keyboard, and Chan second guitar. It was the perfect setup, if Vernon had anything to say about it.
The entire composition of the band had been yet another thing that formed all thanks to you. As much as Vernon insisted on saying it had been a shared effort, he now knew better. He needed to give credit where it was due. If it wasn't for you, Vernon never even would've met the guys he now considered his best friends, as you had been the one to take charge of recruiting more members into the group.
Despite that, you allowed Vernon to have the role of co-leader in the band with you. The way you had rationalized it was that you didn't believe in a monarchy; you much more wanted to have a democracy, so you believed that being co-leaders beat a singular leader by far.
This also demonstrated the intense trust you had on Vernon. Except Vernon's greedy mentality at the time did not respect this vision.
Surprisingly, even to his younger self, it didn't take much convincing for the recruiting manager of the label to convince Vernon into kicking you out. Just one signature from him, and all the male members of the group would be secure under a semi-established label that would guarantee them the exposure he'd been wanting, oh so badly, for the past year of being in the band. All he thought of was his future success, completely ignoring that his best friend would be left behind in the process. Simultaneously, he ignored the protests of his members, believing this to be for the greater good for the band.
In your usual supportive fashion, you were a trooper through it all. Your initial reaction was one of confusion and hurt, but it was quickly wiped away under the facade of being happy for your friends. If you couldn't find success with them, you were glad they'd be able to make it big without you.
Vernon made the mistake of believing these words, not realizing that he had just broken all your trust, and along with it your heart.
Then came the other end of the stick.
To no one's surprise, the record deal fell through. Kicking you out before agreeing to sign the group should've made alarms go off in Vernon's head on its own, but everything that came after was somehow worse.
The label had attempted to poke at every single detail about the band, trying to form them into something they could never see themselves becoming. Their looks changed, their sound changed, and fuck, Vernon just could not stop thinking about you throughout it all.
Before it all completely fell apart, they had been able to perform a few shows. Though they were nothing too big, they were far more than the small pubs in which you guys had performed before sighing the contract. Vernon was completely unable to enjoy any of this, though. The blank space on stage kept his mind uneasy. He constantly wondered about you and reminisced about your beginnings together.
This arrangement only lasted a few months. That was when everything truly went to hell. With lack of cooperation both from him and the rest of the guys, it wasn't too hard to get the label to drop them.
It just wasn't a match. Vernon would be the first to admit that greed got the best of him. Taking the very first signing offer that they got had been too naive of him, leading the band to be labeless and without a lead guitar and female vocal. And also leaving Vernon without a best friend.
A few years were spent attempting to break out once more, only achieving certain virality online through the first year of trying. It wasn't until recent times that Vernon and his band really blew up through some original work of Vernon's they had posted online. That's what actually led to Vernon's current position – touring one of the best labels for people in his genre after having established a solid fanbase online as an independent band.
Since Vernon had lost contact with you soon after kicking you out of the band, he eventually gave up on finding you (though memories of you would still haunt him). Not having kept up with your individual career, he never knew you actually made it out and into the big leagues on your own. You being a renown producer under an artistic name made sense to him, though. It explained why he had not heard of your name during all that time, and it also made sense with your past experience making music when you were in the band. Hell, you were the one who taught Vernon everything he knew about producing.
Despite being incredibly glad that his mistake hadn't made you lose your love for music, Vernon still felt disheartened at seeing you. In another life, the two of you would've made it here together, hand by hand and as the best friends you'd always been (hopefully even more by now). But now you were here, successful but at completely different rates, and with you feeling clear disdain towards Vernon's mere existence.
You simply scoffed at his compliment, rolling your eyes.
"I don't need your praise, Vernon."
Well, it seemed like he couldn't really win regardless. It also didn't help that he felt like a total loser standing in front of you, now aware that you had made a name for yourself.
He had heard your artistic name before, but since you apparently stuck to being a producer rather than be on stage, he never put a face to the name.
"I, uh, are you one of the producers we're auditioning for?"
"Yeah. Good luck with that, Vernon," you seemed far too pleased with yourself. There was venom in your eyes Vernon had never seen before in all those years he knew you.
"Listen, I-"
"Whatever you're going to say about our past, you can save it. Nothing you can say can make up for what happened. I won't get in your way during your meeting with the label. Only because I still love the rest of the guys," you softened a bit, before getting that serious look in your eye again, "But I also won't do you any favors."
Gulping, he responded, "Yeah, I, uh, okay. I understand."
Without any further comments, you bumped into his shoulder as you walked away, leaving a breathless Vernon behind.
He was well aware that you hated him, and with good reason too. Yet he couldn't help the rapid beating of his heart throughout every second of your interaction. With the passing of years, he had thought he was fully over his crush, but it all just came crashing down on him all at once upon your first meeting.
Now he really needed to get into this label. Not only for his career, but to somehow get you back.
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"Dude! Did you see Y/N? She stopped by the studio earlier to say hi. Man, I told you you shouldn't have gone off on your own. I can't believe you missed her."
As much as Vernon wished Seokmin had been right about Vernon missing you altogether, he did wish your first encounter with him had been around other witnesses. Maybe that way your words to him would've had a little less venom in them.
"Nope. Bumped into her in the hallway while I was looking around."
"Shit ...", said Chan, "How was it?"
"Brutal. She hates my ass."
"Completely understandable, you know, considering," chimed in Seungkwan, sitting on the couch of the conference room's waiting room.
After a short tour of the building the label was homed in, the group was directed to wait in the waiting room as the execs arranged the paperwork necessary to sign them – should they come to an agreement. Vernon had made the dumb mistake of asking if he could explore the place a bit on his own, never having imagined he'd bump into you on the way. At least now he knew you'd be one of the higher ups waiting for him on the other side of that door.
"Dude, stop. I've been feeling like a dick ever since it happened", Vernon groaned into his hands, suddenly snapping up to look to his members, "Did you guys know she was working here? Did you know she was the Hissfit?"
"We didn't really keep contact," Seokmin shook his head.
"Yeah. I knew of Hissfit, but I never would've guessed it was her. Damn, that's kinda hot of her," said Jeonghan.
Jeonghan's comment peeved off Vernon a bit, but he had bigger things to worry about at the moment.
"Do you think she hates all of us, or is it just me-"
They all varied in their response, but the consensus was that Vernon was the only member you still saw with venom in your eyes.
"Yeah, man. It's just you," confirmed Chan, "I thought she'd hate me for taking over lead guitar after she left, but she was pretty nice to me just now."
Vernon was about to air out his endless concerns and frustrations at the stupid acts of his 19-year-old self, but had to close his mouth back up when the door to the conference room suddenly opened, revealing you and two other men close to your age.
"Come on in, guys," said one with shaggy hair and a strong build, gesturing at the boys to come in.
All five of them took a seat on one side of the gigantic table that took up most of the space in the room while you and the two men took a seat on the opposite side.
You looked so put together and professional, looking over the papers sitting in front of you while Vernon stared and stared, hoping you'd look his way.
"Okay, first of all, I wanna welcome you guys. I know one of our producers, Soonyoung, already gave you guys a quick tour of the place, but I wanted to give you a formal welcome," began the taller guy of the two, "My name is Seungcheol, but you probably know me as S.Coups."
"I'm Jihoon, but you must know me as Woozi," said the shaggy-haired man.
Then it was your turn.
"I'm Y/N. Also known as Hissfit."
Vernon winced when all his members woo'd at you, dapping you up with all confidence in the world despite not having kept in contact with you for the past few years. He wanted to join in, but you seemed too genuinely appreciative of it for him to want to dampen your mood by reminding you of his existence.
"We are the owners and cofounders of Universe Factory Records," added Jihoon.
"We're well aware you guys know our friend Y/N here," Seungcheol patted your back, rubbing it afterwards in a soothing manner, – completely unnecessary in Vernon's eyes, but okay – "but for business' sake, we will put a pin on that at the moment."
"We don't want any good or bad blood getting in the way of business, so we thought it'd be best to not discuss those matters here today," continued Jihoon, "All we care about is giving a passionate group such as your own and opportunity to join us. I can speak for all three of us when I say that you truly fit the core message of our label, and we'd love to sign you."
You nodded along to it all, even holding Vernon's eyes in yours for a few seconds before looking away.
"We'd love that, Woozi-Nim," intercepted Seokmin, bowing his head a bit at Jihoon.
"We just have a few contractual points to get to and then we can get to business, okay?", Seungcheol clapped his hands decisively.
A few moments later, your HR guys, Jun and Minghao came in to oversee the contract with the eight of you, making sure both parties understood everything written on the fine print. This took about thirty minutes, but ended very amicably.
"Is there a leader to the group who'd like to speak for any modifications you'd like to make to the contract?", asked Seungcheol just moments before the papers were about to be signed by everyone present.
"No, we're more of a democracy," said Vernon, not realizing the irony of his words fast enough.
You scoffed loudly at that, giving Vernon a sarcastic smile.
"Are you sure about that? Any other member who can confirm this fact?", you turned to the rest of the members in mock curiosity.
"Y/N, I-"
"Sorry, it's my bad. I shouldn't have asked," Seungcheol chuckled awkwardly, gesturing to the papers once more, "You can all sign whenever you're ready."
With some hesitation, Vernon signed.
He knew it was the right decision. That this way he would not only get to live his dream with his best friends while being housed under such a successful label, but that he'd also get another chance with you.
It'd just take a lot of work.
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One of Vernon's favorite parts about the contract with Universe Factory was the luxury dorms that came along with it.
Being housed in a penthouse with all his friends seemed like one of the most unachievable dreams, yet here he was.
And the best part was that you owned a penthouse of your own right upstairs.
As far as he understood, this was a business owned building, housing any artists who wished to live at close proximity to the label's main headquarters. Vernon's group chose to agree to this form of housing without a second doubt, having always had the dream of living in the capital of the music industry – Los Angeles.
It had been about a month since the signing, and Vernon had caught sights of you far more times than he would've thought thus far. Unfortunately, none of them had gone well for him.
You seemed to be more than happy rekindling your friendship with the rest of the members, but always refused to spend any time with Vernon one-on-one. If at any moment you were left alone with Vernon, you'd scoff and walk out, even if Vernon attempted to call you out on it.
And Vernon's crush only got worse with the time he spent with you (albeit it always was while other people were around). Seeing you so relaxed in your loungewear when you'd spontaneously stop by the dorms to see Jeonghan or Chan (or literally anyone but him) as you laughed and joked around with them was messing with Vernon's head.
You were just so pretty and perfect and put together.
There came a point where Vernon was quite loud about his crush, constantly whining to his members about how much you still hated him. You were the only person to be unaware of it. Hell, even Jihoon and Seungcheol knew, always giving Vernon looks when he'd stare at you a little too long.
Except you never looked his way.
The only times you ever looked at Vernon were to curse him out or blatantly distance yourself from him whenever you got fed up of his presence.
Even now, as you huddled into a corner of the couch when the rest of the guys conveniently (re: at Vernon's request) left the two of you alone halfway through the movie you'd all been watching.
Attempting to be as casual as possible (he wasn't), Vernon slid from sitting on the arm of the couch to try and scoot closer to you, eyes glued to the TV in fear of you leaving if he dared look your way.
"Vernon-"
"Wait! Don't leave! Just stay sitting. I- I won't bother you, okay?," he was quick to apologize, sensing that you'd either scold him or tell him to fuck off.
You nodded, expressionless as you turned your bead back to the TV again, seemingly not too bothered by him.
It was rare for you to not use his exasperation as a reason to tell him off, so Vernon went against his own words and spoke again.
"Will we ever talk again?"
"What?"
He sighed, turning to you, "Will things ever go back to normal? I- Is there any chance you'll ever forgive me?"
"I don't wanna talk about this with you," you went to get up, only to be stopped by Vernon as he got up also, lightly grabbing your arm.
"Please. You have no idea how much I've regretted it since then. At least let me apologize," he pleaded with you.
"It doesn't matter if you regret it, Vernon. You still did it."
Wincing, he tried to come up with an answer that might satisfy you, but the truth was that there was no way for him to reason his actions at that time.
"I'll never not regret it. I .. I wish you were still out there with us, not just producing behind the scenes."
"Vernon-"
"Do you ... do you still play?"
"What?", you appeared annoyed at his interest.
"Do you still play? At any shows? For fun? You were always the best guitarist I'd known. Chan's nothing compared to you," he joked.
You looked down in what seemed to be shyness, "Chan's pretty good. He's gotten so much better since I last saw him."
"It wasn't the same- It's not the same. You were supposed to be there. I love Channie, but the dynamic completely changed when you left- when you-"
"When you kicked me out," you corrected.
He took a few steps towards you, both hands encompassing your arms in order to get you to look at him.
"I kicked you out, and it was the worst mistake I'd ever made. I lost my bandmate and I lost my best friend. I miss you every day. Every time I perform and I look to the front and you're not there, I remember what an idiot I was. You made this. You made the band, you got all the members. Fuck, you taught Channie everything you knew and all I did to repay you was throw you away," his eyes never left yours as he spoke, despite how guilty he felt at seeing the sudden sadness in yours, "Please tell me you at least still play. Please tell me I didn't take that away from you."
"I ... After you kicked me out, I couldn't trust anyone else. If my own best friend was willing to get rid of me like that ... If all my friends stood by and did nothing, then I couldn't trust that someone else wouldn't do it again."
"Y/n, I-"
You stepped away from his hold, creating some distance.
"I didn't want to play anymore, so I started selling my music. That's how I met Jihoon And Seungcheol. They were already on the process of founding Universe Factory. They saw something in me and took me in. We were equals," you explained, "So, no. I haven't played since then, Vernon. I'm a producer now."
It made Vernon miserable to know that the girl he once knew had changed. He understood why, specially having been part of the cause, but he felt even more regretful at knowing that he had damaged your ability to trust so badly. Ever since he knew you, you loved nothing more than to play for people. From talent shows to small shows at local pubs with only twenty people in the audience, you'd always happily sign up if it meant a chance to play for anyone willing to listen. Now you didn't have that in you anymore. All because Vernon had broken your trust.
Vernon chose not to bother you anymore after that. You seemed happy with your new life. Vernon seemed to be the only source of negativity in your life, so he chose to step aside and let you live your life. He would no longer try and see if there was any space for him there anymore. If that's what made you happy, then so be it.
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It had taken a while, but after four months of being signed into Universe Factory, Vernon's band had finally released their new album.
The rollout consisted of 12 original songs, with a deluxe version including three extra songs coming a few months later. It hadn't been fully fleshed out yet, but the album itself had been a success by all means.
Throughout the process, Vernon had unfortunately not made much progress with you. Things seemed to be a bit more peaceful now that he had decided to leave you alone, but you never once tried to seek him out, so he assumed that this was the end of it. You were happy to ignore him and keep him out of your life, and as much as Vernon wad pained by it, he felt too remorseful by his previous actions to try and bother you anymore.
Vernon was happy to spend time with you whenever studio sessions came up. As one of the main producers of the company, you had been thoroughly involved in the album, which meant that you spent a grand majority of your time in the studio with Vernon and the rest of the band. Though you would rarely engage with him directly, you didn't outwardly ignore him. You remained professional and respectful towards him. He wasn't sure if that was better or worse.
After the grueling process of finishing up the album and releasing it, there was a small lull in the group's timeline. The album did amazingly well, specially with all the promo your label did for them. A tour had even been announced for later in the year, but for now things were quiet. The fruits of their labor were paying off and now everyone got a bit of time to rest before preparations for tour began.
Despite being done with work for a few weeks before getting to rehearsals for tour, Vernon still liked to come around the company and play around with the studios the label had available for their artists. He liked to mess around and try to experiment with new stuff to develop his skills. During the album-making period, he had observed you intently, learning from you without your knowledge.
Today was one of the many times in which Vernon had decided to come around the studios, in search of the one his group used throughout the process of making their album.
That was when he noticed the half-closed door, with the soft strumming of a guitar coming from the inside. He was about to turn around and leave, assuming that someone else had taken up that studio for a bit, but then he heard a melodious voice accompanying the guitar in perfect harmony. It was you.
Even during the recording process, Vernon was yet to hear you sing or play any music. The demos were usually recorded by Jihoon, even when you had vast participation in them. The most he had heard your voice during that time had been when you'd direct the members on how to enunciate a line or two – and even then, Vernon felt enamored. Now here Vernon was, peeking from the small opening of the door as he witnessed you sing what seemed to be an original song.
Your back was facing him as you sat on the floor, simply facing the wall in front of you. Your voice was low, as was your strumming. It was likely you didn't want anyone to hear you. Almost as if you were hiding your skill, not wanting anyone to be aware of it.
Vernon couldn't help but think that this was the consequence of his actions. Did you think you weren't made to perform anymore? Not even in private? Had his betrayal caused this in you? The thought made him sick, knowing how much you loved music.
His thoughts were promptly interrupted by a sudden halt in your playing, hearing your voice speak up.
"I know you're there, Vernon," you said without even needing to turn around to face him.
"I- How did you-"
You began to get up, putting your guitar away, "I heard the door squeak a bit, and you're the only person who would be interested enough in hearing me play to stay and watch."
He knew you hadn't meant it in a self-deprecating way, but the thought of you believing that there wasn't a crowd of people who'd die to hear you perform felt like a punch in the gut.
"You still sound amazing. You got even better, somehow."
"Vernon, stop. You don't have to-"
"Please. Let me at least compliment you. I mean it. You're amazing. It's a huge disservice to the world that you're not out there performing your own music," he chuckled humorlessly by the end, attempting to appeal to you somehow.
Surprisingly to him, you chuckled back in a similar manner, choosing to recline against one of the tables in the room rather than leave now that Vernon was speaking to you – something you'd usually do if you were ever in a room alone with him.
"I've never been much of a soloist. You know that."
Taking a leap, Vernon chose to lean against the table too, taking a seat close to you.
"I'm sure people would be lining up for a chance to work with you, c'mon."
"Not, you, though. Right?"
He groaned, throwing his head back in frustration, "Listen ..."
"I'm kidding, Vernon, relax."
That surprised him. Maybe the time had allowed you to feel comfortable enough to tease Vernon about it. Fuck. You were speaking to him. That in itself was more progress than he'd had in years.
Usually, he would've responded with a joke back, but he decided to drive his point home instead.
"I'd kill for you to even consider playing with me again."
Your mood visibly shifted at that, squirming a bit and looking down at his words.
"Yeah, I'm sure."
This time your sarcasm didn't deter him. He had an opening. You were talking to him, after months of only doing polite small talk with him whenever you were forced to. Maybe it was time he was a bit stern too.
Standing up, he stood directly in front of you, towering over you a bit more than usual since you were leaning against the table.
"Listen. I know I hurt you. I know I did the worst thing I could've done to the person I loved most, okay? I think about it every day. I thought about it every single day after you cut me out of your life – which you had every right to do," he winced at the thought, "Seeing you again, knowing you made it big and that you're still making music made me so glad. So glad that even though I wasn't ever going to be part of your journey anymore, you still had music by your side. I ... I wish I had done things differently. I wish I hadn't acted so stupidly and been so easy to convince to leave you behind just for a taste of success. I deserve every bit of your hate for it, but- fuck ... but I will always keep doing everything I can to see if maybe one day you might forgive me."
"Vernon, I-"
"Wait, I'm not done," he interrupted you with a finger in the air, "I tried looking for you, you know? After you disappeared, I tried to get you back somehow. When we got dropped from the label just a few months later, I tried to find you, but you were nowhere. I wanted you back from the moment I made that stupid decision. I'd do anything for you to be up there with us on that tour, for your name to be on that album cover. Somehow we ended up making music together again, just with all this baggage in between."
"Vernon."
"What? I- Honestly I don't know what you could say to all my word vomit. I already know you hate me. Nothing I do will ever change it," he looked down with a sad look on his face.
"I don't ... I don't hate you."
His head snapped up to look at you.
"You- What?"
"I don't hate you," you repeated, "I don't think I ever did. I never left music completely, I just ... I felt so disposable. I didn't want to work with anyone who wasn't you, and you saw me as a replaceable asset. I didn't even feel like your friend at that point. I mean, it was so easy for Chan to go from second guitar to lead and just completely erase my existence from the band ... Erase it from your life."
"N-no. You have it all wrong," he got closer to you, grabbing onto your shoulders to make you look at him, "Nothing was ever the same. That's why it all failed. I couldn't function without you."
"Hah," your eyes wandered away from his in an avoidant manner, "I would've killed to hear that from you back then."
You took a breath, appearing to ponder whether or not to say your next statement, ultimately deciding on the former.
"I used to like you so much back then. Did you know?," you laughed at yourself, "It was, uh, one of the reasons why I left. I felt like I got rejected in every way. As a friend, as a bandmate, as ... as the girl who liked you."
Fuck.
It had been worse for you than Vernon ever imagined.
The same way he felt dejected at your disappearance, having been practically in love with you at the time, you must've felt that pain a hundred times over. The guy you liked threw you away so easily, of course you were going to assume Vernon would never return your feelings under those circumstances.
But you had it all wrong. Oh, so horribly wrong.
If you had ever given Vernon any indication of you liking him, he would've dropped everything for you. He knew that he should've done so regardless, specially considering you were best friends, but he was extremely immature and dumb at the time. His mind did not reason what effect his actions would have. At the time, your claims about being okay with leaving the band as long as it was for the best of its future were completely taken at face value by Vernon. Never would he have guessed that you had just said that to appease to him just because you liked him.
His prolonged silence allowed you to speak up once again.
"I really did want to try and root for you after you signed that contract, but seeing the guy I was so head over heels for throw me aside so easily settled on my mind after a few days. I realized there was no point either way. We would never be bandmates again, and you would never like me back."
"I didn't- I ... I had no idea. Fuck," he breathed a heavy breath, furrowing his eyebrows, "I was so in love with you. I'm ... I'm so incredibly in love with you."
He knew he fucked up in saying it, specially going by the shocked expression on your face. Your eyes were wide and your mouth agape.
"I'm sorry. Fuck, I'm so sorry. I know this isn't what you want to hear. I- I shouldn't have said anything, but I can't help myself anymore. I've loved you for years. I've been miserable thinking about how badly you hate me when you haven't left my mind for a single day. I love you. I'm sorry, I just ... I love you."
"Vernon ..."
He threw his hands up in frustration, "Don't. Fuck, I already know what you're going to say, just ... just don't-"
"Vernon, shut up!", you grabbed onto his head, making him lower himself down to you a bit and look into your eyes.
Vernon wasn't quite sure what your original plan was, but he saw you open and close your mouth a few times to speak, ultimately giving up to do something that would break Vernon's mind for the upcoming future.
Your lips against his own was something he thought of an embarrassing amount of times during his teens (and even now during his 20's), but it was always something he was certain would never happen. He had never actually planned for what he would do if you ever actually granted his wish. And so he remained limp against you for a few moments too long, making you pull away at the lack of reciprocation.
This was something he just couldn't have. In no world could he ever allow you to ever feel like he didn't want you. Never again. Before you could fully pull away, his arms wrapped around your waist, bringing you to your tip toes so that he could kiss you properly. When your feet flattened on the ground, his lips chased after yours, leaning down to keep himself connected to you.
The kiss was soft and delicate. There were some breathy sighs that were making Vernon's head feel fuzzy, but the kiss was innocent otherwise.
Or at least that was how it started.
Vernon wasn't sure who licked their way into the other's mouth first, but that bit of information didn't matter too much. What mattered was that gorgeous moan you let out when his tongue suckled on yours. What mattered was the way you let your body become limp against his touch, letting him back you up against the table and sit you on it. What mattered were your hands pulling at his hair in sheer desperation for more.
You weren't the only culprit, though. Vernon was equally, if not more, desperate for you. His mind and his body were in a battle, with one wanting to pull away and discuss what your current feelings for him where, and the other fighting the urge to flip you around and bend you over the table.
Thankfully, you made the decision for him.
Your hands snuck under his shirt, delicate fingers gracing the skin of his stomach before allowing your hands to freely feel up his abs and chest. Shuddering, he became lightheaded at the simple contact, having been in such constant want for your touch all these years that even the simplest of contact had him losing his sanity. Unlike you, his hands were not as daring as yours in fear of scaring you away somehow. They remained rubbing your clothed waist and hips, far too shy to do what they really yearned to.
Images flashed in his head of every nasty thing he wanted to do to you. Every single night in which you'd somehow invade his mind with a fog of lust came running back, a myriad of ideas making it all the harder to hold back. He wanted you to have control. As hard as it was to just sit there and will his already prominent boner into staying still, Vernon could not act on any desire. You had to be the one to initiate it.
And thank fucking god you did.
Within some short moments, your hands threw off Vernon's shirt, pulling him closer to you as you became even more shameless in how you felt him up. Seeing his hands remain stagnant on your waist, you disconnected his lips, staring into his own with a blissed out look on your face.
Fuck.
You were already fucked up. Your eyes had nothing but lust in them. They had a hard time not making their way to his lips, which were still dangerously close to your own. He couldn't blame you. Despite being out of breath from kissing all this time, his own lips were already aching to encompass your own again.
Before he could kiss you again with a petulant whine, your hands guided his own to your clothed breasts, pressing them up against his palms with a delicious little whine that made Vernon press his cock against the table under you.
"Touch me? Feel me up? Fuck ... want your hands all over me," you breathed between sensual licks at his open mouth.
Fuck.
Oh, fuck.
How was he supposed to do this?
You sounded so pretty for him ... so horny and needy and just so fucking desperate for him.
You were the prettiest fucking thing he had ever seen – and you were begging for Vernon to feel you up? You were already begging and he hadn't even had the chance to actually touch you yet? Vernon had no idea how he was going to survive you, but he'd just have to will his body into doing so.
He didn't need any further instruction, his hands immediately following the task of rubbing and squeezing at every inch of skin. Every clothed curve was victim to his grabby hands, touching you and pressing you up against him like he'd die if he didn't. Your breathy little moans at his touch only made him feel like even more of a depraved animal.
You kissed and kissed and kissed. It was the nastiest mess of tongues and saliva, but Vernon couldn't help but feel extremely turned on by it. You were so ... so fucking desperate for him. Shameless in your actions, you licked and sucked at his tongue, holding his jaw in place so you could do as you pleased with his tongue. And when he couldn't match your pace due to how foggy his mind was? You stopped him, breathing against his lips that you'd show him how you liked to be kissed just before licking sensually into his mouth yet again.
Having been far too into the kiss, Vernon didn't even notice when you started undoing his belt, hands teasing his cock occasionally by gracing it through his pants and immediately coming back up when his hips tried to chase your touch.
"Baby ... Need you so bad," you moaned at him after a while.
'Baby'? He was 'baby' now?
Vernon couldn't even take a minute to process the lustful voice in which you had called him baby before his poor, weak, lust-ridden brain got distracted by you pulling your own shirt off.
It was almost comical the way in which Vernon froze at the sight. The two gorgeous mounds staring at him, pretty bralette encompassing them as you grabbed his hands and put them on your tits, begging him to touch you there. And Vernon wasn't an idiot. He touched you to his heart's contentment, groaning against your mouth every time you'd arch your back and press your chest up against his hands even more.
You were an entirely different version from the one he'd always known. You were so needy and soft and sensitive, completely unlike the stubborn and cold side of you you had shown him these past months. But Vernon wasn't about to complain when he had you so pliant for him, so whiny as you pleaded for him to touch you more.
His hands tugged and pinched at your nipples, lips swallowing every single cry of pleasure you let out. Your own hands scratched at his chest, with harsher marks being left behind every time he pinched at your tits relatively hard.
Growing easily frustrated, you separated his hands from your breasts, throwing off your bra before beginning to grind against him, encouraging him to push up his hips against your own.
Vernon was already painfully hard at just the privilege of feeling you up, so he was somewhat scared that he might end up cumming in his pants if you kept this up for so long. All it took was one single bump of your cunt against his cock for him to throw that concern aside and grind into your awaiting cunt as the two of you continued to kiss.
Breathless, he pulled away, finally getting to have a view of your nude breasts. That's when he lost control of himself.
He groaned and moaned and made every inhumane noise you could think of as he made love to your tits with his tongue. Never had he ever put so much dedication into anything as he did into making out with your tits. And fuck was it worth it. Your hips sped up against his own, hands burying in his hair as you pressed his head against your tit and cried his name in the prettiest of sighs.
There was no way in hell Vernon was going to last. He needed a saving grace.
Mustering all his willpower, Vernon disconnected himself from you completely, grabbing your hand and walking you over to the couch in the studio. On his way there, he kicked off his already loose pants and threw off his shoes. His original plan was to lay you down on it, crawl over you as he kissed every inch of your body and then worship his way into fucking you missionary, – so he could see and kiss you all throughout, just in the way he always imagined – but you stopped him in his tracks.
Pushing him onto the couch, you sat him down before shuffling your sweats off and straddling him, putting your hands on his shoulders.
"I wanna ride you. Can I?", you asked, getting straight to the point.
"You- you wanna .."
"I've been thinking about this since high school. And ... you kinda owe me, you know, after kicking me out of my own band," you joked.
"If letting you ride me is payback, then I take it back. I regret nothing," this granted him a frown and a slap on his chest, but he took it as a champ, enjoying the familiar banter he once shared with you.
Placing his large hands on your hips, he somehow got you even closer to him, "Ride me? Hmm, baby?", he kissed up your neck, taking advantage of the clear desire he knew you felt for him.
"I, ah ... Nonnie ... Please. Want your cock, it's so big," you sighed, neck tilting so he could have more space to kiss.
"Gotta prep you first, baby."
You shook your head, huffing, "'m already so wet, Nonnie. Wanna feel?"
With no warning, you snuck your hand under the tiny little excuse for panties you were wearing, gathering some tasty nectar for him to taste. He let out a gruttal groan at your taste, feeling lightheaded at the thought of someday having the privilege to eat your cunt until you begged and sobbed for him to stop.
But that would come some other day. Now, he needed to sit you down on his cock before he lost his mind. If you thought you were wet enough, and you were desperate enough to beg for him repeatedly, then who was he to deny you?
Helping you awkwardly remove your panties while he shoved his boxers down as much as he could while sitting, he helped you lift yourself up a bit to line him up, throwing his head back when you instead chose to drag his tip up and down your cunt.
"Baby ... If you don't sit on me, I'm going to fucking cum before I even get to feel you, and I don't wanna embarrass myself like that. So, please let me have it," he begged for a change, eyes squeezed shut as he attempted to make his body hold back as much as possible.
Taking pity on him (or likely just equally as horny), you finally sat down on him, showing very small signs of struggle at his size.
"F-fuck ... Nonnie, it's so big, it's so- Oh ... fuck."
"Nonnie! Feels so good ... Oh, it's so good, Nonnie."
"Baby, need more ... Need you to fuck me. Please? Cock's so fucking good."
"Want it in my mouth, Nonnie. It's so thick n so fucking big. Looks so, fuck, so delicious. Wanna choke on it so bad ..."
These were only some of the filthy expletives you cried out as you bounced on his cock like a depraved girl. You desire for him alone was enough to make Vernon want to give up and dedicate his body to your pleasure, knowing that your gorgeous body would always give him the same, if not more, pleasure in return.
It got so bad for him that at some point, he simply couldn't hold back anymore, his feet settling firmly on the ground before tightening his grip on your hips and beginning to bounce you up and down his cock while his hips canted up with inmensurable speed.
"Cunt's so tight, baby. Never letting you go again. 's all for me, right? Get to have you every day now," he mumbled against your chest, lips chasing your tits every now and then.
"Y-yes, Nonnie. All for you! Missed you so much, Nonnie. Thought of you every day," you hiccuped, back arching to give him better access to your tits, "I was so heartbroken over you ... Never letting you go now. You're mine. Right, Nonnie?"
He nodded and cried at your words, heartbroken just at the thought of your own heartbreak. He had to remind himself that none of that mattered anymore. Now he finally had you. The dam had finally broken and allowed the two of you to end your prolonged animosity and give you a chance to finally be his. Just how he had been yours all these years.
Your love making (if you could even call it that considering the animalistic nature of it) could only last so long before Vernon finally burst, which meant he had to take matters into his own hands and make sure you found your end with him. Reaching between you, his hand searched for your clit, finding it in only a few seconds. Disconnecting his head from your chest, he went back to kissing your neck, reaching your ear so he could talk you through your orgasm.
"Need you to cum for me, okay, baby? Love you so much ... Need to cum together, pretty, yeah?",
"L-love you! So much, Nonnie ... Never stopped."
Those were the last words you managed to let out before your orgasm took over you, whining the prettiest cries Vernon had ever heard. The tightening of your cunt finally allowed Vernon to let go, joining you in your high as neither of your hips halted their movements.
Holding you all throughout, Vernon had never felt as close to anyone else as he did to you in this moment. If you needed to hate him in order to protect yourself from his betrayal, then Vernon fully accepted it. No part of him blamed you for keeping him at an arm's length at all times. Specially if this was the final outcome. Now that he finally had you, he didn't care what journey he had to live through to get here. All he cared about was the gorgeous girl of his dreams crying in his arms as pleasure overtook her.
Your orgasms had been so incredibly intense that you needed some moments to catch your breaths before speaking up. That, and all the emotions that must've been going through your minds.
Holding each other despite the silence, you stayed like that for a few minutes, simply nuzzling against each other as a demonstration of love for one another. Vernon's mind still couldn't believe the reciprocation of your feelings. His heart was still beating far too loud under your touch, but he felt at ease.
"I really do love you," he spoke against your neck, "And I'll never stop regretting what I did to you."
You created a small distance between you to look at him, caressing his cheek in your hand as you spoke.
"I'll never be okay with what you did, but I love you. You were young, and you made a mistake. I can't stand hating you anymore."
He smiled, turning his head to kiss the palm you had against his cheek.
"You can hate me, as long as you love me too," he said. He knew it made no sense, but he also knew you understood.
"I love you," you said again with a smile.
"I love you."
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content: smut, afab reader, comfort sex, face riding, penetrative sex, etc.
wc: 714 (teaser); 2379 (full drabble)
sneak peak:
"Isn't it unprofessional for you to ask an ex member to join the band again just cause you're sleeping together?", asked Chan as he tuned his guitar absentmindedly.
"For the last time, that's not why I'm asking her. I've wanted her back for years, you guys know this. I'm just rectifying a mistake."
You giggled from your seat on the couch, enjoying that the guys still gave Vernon a hard time for what he had done all those years back.
The news of your relationship had come as a surprise only to a few people. Most of your friends had seen it coming from miles. The sexual tension was just too high, or at least that's what Jeonghan had said when you first broke the news, Seungkwan nodding in agreement.
After that day in the studio, you and Vernon entered an annoyingly disgusting honeymoon phase. Unfortunately for everyone else, this phase seemed to be endless. Two months in, and you were still attached to the hip, unable to keep your hands or eyes away from each other.
Your newfound revelation of love for Vernon also brought back up old dynamics between the two of you. With his encouragement, you began occasionally playing with the guys, sometimes joining in as second guitar on stage, standing at the back, right next to Vernon and his drums. Your relationship was a point of conversation for fans, but you still kept it private among the people in the company.
Currently, Vernon had made the executive decision that he wanted you to officially be featured in a remixed version of one of their most successful songs from their debut album. The plan had already been there, but Vernon's suggestion of having you on the track rather than anyone else had surprised some people at the company, especially when they found out you agreed.
Vernon had been incredibly busy all week, leaving this as the first time he'd been able to see all of you together to briefly discuss the future plans for the track. His plan was to make a quick stop and then finally rest in your arms back at your apartment.
"Anyways, you should never forget that she was lead guitar before you ever were. We could always just send you to the back again," interrupted Seungkwan, giving Chan an unserious yet pointed look.
Chan raised his hands in defense, "Hey! I'm not the one who kicked her out!"
Groaning, Vernon walked over to you and buried his face in your neck, tired features clear in his face as he wrapped his arms around your waist, "Make them stop. Please."
Giggling again, you opted for a better option, taking the clearly tired boy by the hand and leaving the studio, bidding your goodbyes to the guys.
You had only stopped by to say hi to your friends while on your way to your apartment, knowing Vernon was tired from a long day of recording for various other activities he had recently embarked in as a new face in the industry. They were already aware you'd be recording a song with them, but simply enjoyed giving Vernon a hard time. Maybe even more than you did.
On the ride home, Vernon had fallen asleep, absentmindedly cuddling against you on the back of the car. Vernon had naturally taken on the role of the main face of the group, which also came with endless work and promotions he sometimes had to do solo, just like today. You were more fortunate in that area, making most of your money off royalties and not needing to make public appearances at any point.
When you finally arrived home, you continued dragging Vernon along with you, who would only groan occasionally at the thought of even stepping foot into the elevator. Making it all the way to your suite had taken a while due to the size of the building, but when you made it, Vernon immediately threw off his shirt and stripped down to his boxers, letting himself fall face first into the bed, groaning at the mattress cushioning his fall.
You stared for a few moments, thinking of what you could do to help your tired boyfriend relax after a tiresome week of work. Then the idea suddenly came to you.
...
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brailsthesmolgurl · 3 days
Text
LOSING YOU HURTS
Preview: What have the boys done that got you to go MIA? What lengths would they go to get you back?
Warnings: ANGST, teeth-rotting fluff at ending.
P.S: This is a request from one of you lovely readers. I hope what I had written shall suffice your love for angst and fluff. Rafayel's take is always and always will be and shall be the dramatic route imo, Zayne's just radiating care-bear energy in forever, Xavier? I decided to do him a little dirty and make him a salty boi :3
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RAFAYEL - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜
The young artist came home to the smell of alcohol reeked across his living room. The mellow balsamic, saccharine scent created a trail for Rafayel to tail towards his room. The wide span of hallways suddenly seemed so narrow due to the lack of lighting. However, the moonlight provided just enough of a shine to prevent Rafayel from kissing the walls as he led himself towards his bedroom. The scent became more pungent as he got closer to the door and he was wondering if someone had managed to break into his mansion just for a couple of bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Opening the door with a slight creak, he popped his head into the ajar door to take a peek of the thief. Only to find you, sprawled out on his bed. He could not see your face as your legs faced him but he could see the slight rise and fall of your chest. You are asleep.
Relieved, he walked over to your sleeping figure, studying the situation. A bottle of Merlot emptied out on the nightstand while another half bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon stood still on the floor, next to a wine glass. Someone is clearly in the mood to drink for the night and does not even bother to wait for him. But he did wondered why would you down one and a half bottle of red wine when you have a barely existent alcohol tolerance. Rafayel took a seat next to you, tucking your hair behind your ear and he smiled to himself.
He leaned down to press a gentle kiss onto your cheek, feeling the warmth of your face from your drunkenness. “Mmm…” You hummed out at the slight pressure on your cheek. “Is that you Rafayel?” Your hushed whispers made him pressed another kiss to your cheek again, and another to your jawline.
“Yes, it’s me my love.” Rafayel pressed yet another kiss to your lips, slightly excited at you waking up. Seeing your eyelids opening to reveal your gaze, he leaned back, holding himself up by his palm, taking in your sleepy state. “You want to tell me why you chose to drink all of these yourself instead of waiting for me to come home and toast with you?”
His question only dissolved from words into gibberish as you were too drunk to handle such a heavy topic for the night. “I’m tired.” With a couple more slow blinks, the room disappeared and you travelled back to your dreamland.
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The next day came about with you waking up to an empty bed. You slowly sat up, eyes shutting closed when your head cracked a whir and the world started to spin out of control. “Good morning.” A familiar voice tuned in and you opened your eyes just enough to catch sight of your boyfriend walking in casually, a silver tray well balanced on one of his palms. “My beauty is awake.” Smell of pancakes and something spicy filled the air and your tastebuds started salivating. Nothing like a good hungover meal to get things kickstarted for the day. For the talk the both of you are going to have. “I made some breakfast for you. Based on the amount you had drank, you are to be called a drunkard from now on.” He leaned down close enough, nose tip caressed against your cheek. “You’re most welcomed for my care.”
“We have to talk.” You had sat yourself up, hand rubbing your forehead a couple of times when you tried to calm your throbbing pain in your skull and the itch in the back of your throat, begging you to stop what you are about to say. “I want to break up.”
“Awe, is my beauty still—” Rafayel reached his hand out to touch your cheek, a cheesy smile still hung on his handsome features. He had just woken up, shirt messily buttoned, hair tousled and spiking in different directions and face still slightly oily from the sleep he had enjoyed next to you in bed. Nevertheless, his beauty remains inexorable.
You turned your head to the side, leaving his hand hanging mid air with the phantom touch of your warm cheek, and his smile faded when he denoted that you were being serious. “I want to break up.” Your lack of tone and facial expressions led Rafayel to return to his original posture.
“Why?” Rafayels’ eyes narrowed and he knitted his eyebrows together. He was frustrated. Not telling him the reason and just wanting to break up gave the young man a good enough idea that he is no longer wanted in your space. He could have begged, asked, nagged you to stay but he chooses to respect your boundary. “Why would you want to break up suddenly?”
"Have you not seen the news Rafayel?" You grabbed your phone off of the nightststand and unlocked it, revealing a news titled 'NEW MUSE OR NEW COHORT? RAFAYEL FOUND SHARING LIPS WITH THE MYSTERY WOMAN'.
He looked genuinely shocked, grabbing your phone to continue scanning through the article. Hazy from your hangover, you cannot tell if he was being upset or he was actually shocked that he got caught. "Love, that is a mistake. I did not know she—"
"I'm done." You interrupted, snatching your phone out of his palms and pushing yourself off of the bed. Rafayel mimicked you, getting up off of the bed and holding onto you to prevent you from falling and to stop you from leaving. "I should have known earlier given how you had not been coming home recently. All of the promises that you made, it's all just a lie."
"No, it's not a lie y/n. I did not manage to come home because I was busy curating my artworks for the upcoming exhibition. The kiss with Aiki, it was nothing. We were both drunk and—" He started rambling, eyes darting everywhere except meeting yours and face turning red. The lack of detail present within his explanation only pushed your buttons further.
"It's the fact you kissed her and you did not tell me anything the next day, or the day after, or today! That's what made me disappointed in you Rafayel!" You raised your voice, unable to calm yourself anymore. You recalled the night you caught on to the news. Crying became your last resort and you figured by chugging down alcohol you could pity yourself less, seeing the picture of the mystery woman he calls 'Aiki' being so much more alluring than you.
Possessing long blond hair with big wavy curls, tall stature with right amount of curves on her figure. Any man would dream of a model-like woman like her laying in their bed. Not to mention, she possesses the same interest for art, seemingly the only daughter to a family tree of artists. There is no doubt on why she would be hired by Rafayel and why they would end up having an affair.
You squared up against him, pushing him by his shoulders and he stumbled backwards. "I hate you." Your last sentence jabbed him more than anything, maybe it was the tears that ran down your face like streams, maybe the way you bit your lip after you had finished your sentence realising that you had said the ultimatum, or maybe it was your tone of defeat that made him feel utterly useless.
"I'm sorry y/n." Rafayel held onto your wrist, with just enough amount to beg you to stay and not to force you. "It was a mistake of mine, I should have told you about it. I was scared you were going to leave me."
"But apparently not saying it does not change the ending either." You removed your wrist out of his grip and you walked past him and out of the premises of his abode. Your tears streaked your cheeks immediately when the heavy doors closed behind you. Your feet felt heavy with every step you take, secretly hoping for Rafayel to be dashing out of his house, shouting and begging relentlessly for you to not leave him. Despite with that expectation, it remained eidetic to your imagination and you dragged yourself as far as you could. Away from his mansion, away from his island, but primely, away from Rafayel.
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Days followed by weeks and then months. That was how long you had disassociated yourself with the purple haired lad. The memories of him are dissolving just like the news of his has dissipated. The last you had seen his name on the news headline was when he chose to cancel his exhibition. The same exhibition that he spent a lot of time trying to curate his artworks and the same exhibition that got him to commit a mistake with Aiki that costed him his relationship. Although the reason behind his cancellation was unknown to the paparazzi, you knew full well that his 'I am moody hence I do not feel like going through with this exhibition' kinda excuse is pure bullshit. But of course, you did not want to jump to conclusions. More like, you are in no position to possess such an assumptive nature towards his acts anymore.
Here you currently sat, on your kitchen table, with a cup of tea in hand and eyes fixated on the hologram showcased in your living room. The holographic news reporter casually stood at the corner of your living room, reading from his cue cards and occasionally pointing towards the graphics that appeared on his left on demand, providing you details on what is going on in the outside world. You were thinking of going out for a shopping spree today as you had been holed up in your home for the longest time ever. Mostly due to paperwork, partially may contribute to the post breakup blues.
The doorbell rang and you swiftly got up, tearing your eyes off of the man in a suit in your living room and you walked yourself towards the door. You clicked the lock open and pulled your door towards you to open it. Rafayel towered in front of you, still looking as dashing as how you always expected of him. His left eyebrow raised, presumably surprised at you opening the door for him. The tension amongst the both of you started arising, one mostly out of anxiety while the other mostly out of frustration.
"What do you want?" You quipped, crossing your arms over your chest as you eyed the young man in front of you. Rafayel clad a suit that puts the reporter's neatly pressed outfit to shame, with the usual combo of black and white, added on with a red tie, there is really not a lot of work required for him to look good. Yet, you could not bring yourself to admire his outfit now.
"I came to apologise." His tone was lighthearted, pressed to crack a joke amidst this tension. You however, caught a whiff of a scent that you do not often smell on him. It smells tangy, fruity even. "I know you do not want me here, but I will not stop like how I had not stopped contacting you for the past months. It took Thomas three months to locate where you are staying and I just had to risk coming here." He pressed one of his palms to his forehead and closed his eyes, body swaying slightly as if there was a gust of wind that blew him. "Can I at least come in? My head is buzzing."
You stood aside to give way to him. His lanky stature nearly manage to fit through your standard door frame and you manage to sneak a whiff off of his cologne of the night. He reeked of alcohol. "Are you drunk Rafayel?"
The man stumbled forward and you lurched towards him, arms secured around his waist to hold him up, not wanting him to kiss the floor just yet and you slowly guided him towards the sofa. Moans and groans and hushed mutters kept tumbling out of his mouth, but you barely focused in on his monologues. The way his rubicund cheeks presented itself, accompanied with his groans; he must not be in a good mood. Although the both of your paths had came to an end, you could not just let him falter to the ground. "Here, lay down." You low-key flopped him onto the couch and hurried off into the kitchen to fetch some water.
It has been a while of silence, with the window opened for maximum ventilation and the curtains that pranced along with the rhythm of the winds. You twisted the handkerchief in your hand, squeezing the water out of the cloth and laying it onto Rafayel's head, repeating the same motion for the next few handkerchiefs that you would use to cover his neck and his chest. He was rather persistent in not wanting you to undress him as the moment is not right and he does not want to be taken advantage of. But again, it seems like you are the one that was getting taken advantage by your ex-boyfriend even after the breakup.
You managed to make him comply by comforting him and telling him that you only want to cool down his body temperature. The permission to remove his blazer was granted with a nod and you unbuttoned three buttons on his button-up shirt, unfoldingthe cotton piece and slowly placing it onto his smooth yet hard chest. Rafayel hissed in response, hands enveloping yours immediately and your cheeks burnt at the touch. "I'm sorry y/n." You looked up to see the man is already looking at you, lids heavy and lips slightly puckered, guilt written all over his features. "I didn't mean to cheat on you at all."
"You should rest." Your dismissive attitude got Rafayel to wrap his arms around your waist in one-go and he pulled you onto him, so you are laying right on top of him. You were frantic, wanting to get out of his arms as soon as possible but his hold was solid. "Rafayel, please. We had gotten over this." "I had never loved anyone like you y/n." His soft voice a total opposite of his iron grip. "Hell, when I kissed her that time when I was drunk, all I could think about was you. I'm sorry I did not tell you about my mistake earlier. I am sorry I let you walked out. I should have tried harder, I should not have gotten drunk that night..." The warm light that hit his face outlined the tears that brimmed around his eyes. He trailed off, words swallowed by the silence. "I'm very sorry my love."
You could not deny it. Seeing him being drunk, standing at the front of your unit that he had searched for relentlessly ever since the parting, apologising being the only thing he could manage to put into a conversation for tonight and the amount of guilt that surrounds him as thick as the smell of alcohol on his body. You could not deny that he melted your heart. "Rafayel, it's okay." You succumbed to your own regret too, revealing the sensations you had felt for the past few months. "I should not have acted so recklessly. I should have listened to you and not let my insecurity consume me. I am sorry too."
"Don't be sorry my love." His finger snaked over to the bottom of your chin and he lifted it up. Your lips only a few inches away from him. "I will always love you, and if you ever plan to leave me again, I will chase you to the ends of the earth even if I have to." Watching him closely, you realised the redness on his cheeks are gone, and the glint of teasing in his nebula-like orbs is back.
Scrunching your face in observation, you asked. "Are you faking yourself to be drunk?" He whined like a toddler and 'fainted' back into his laying position, making you raise your eyebrows in return at his usual mockeries. "Do you even mean anything you said earlier?"
He snapped his head back to you, eyes widened and he pushed himself up with one arm, jaw slackening. "The audacity to assume that I came here just for a show." He pressed a hand to his chest and looked down, the redness creeping onto his ears. "Everything I had said is sincere, I wanted to apologise and wanted to show you just how much you actually matter to me. Because, y/n, losing you really pains me. It affects me greater than what you may think." You did not reply to his laments, but instead just watched this man in front of you conveyed a soliloquy that is so wrapped in sincerity and love for you that it really made you reconsider the word 'break up'.
A snap of a finger made you jolted awake and you realised how stupid you could have looked, with a wide grin stapled onto your face as you admired your suitor in front of you. Rafayel however, has a pout on his lips and he crossed his arms, unsatisfied with the lack of succor he received from his all-time lover. "You are lucky I love you, or else I am suing you for making me look like a fool when I am the least bit interested in theatrical acts." Then, the both of you burst out into laughters, filling the void of the dead silence.
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ZAYNE - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝
You flicked your wrist to stare at your new watch that Zayne had gotten for you. It is almost lunch time but you still did not managed to catch sight of Zayne anywhere. You scanned the crowd, watching staffs and patients zooming across the lobbies in various speeds. Weekdays are not an excuse for this famous hospital to have barren hallways as you have figured.
Heavy footfalls against the marbled flooring made you turned your head and you noticed Zayne standing near one of the pharmacy counters, with a girl right next to him. You knew all of the people your boyfriend is associated with but the absence of a memory for the girl's face suggested that she may be new around here. Your eyes started to study this stranger occupying herself right next to your boyfriend.
She has short, neat brunette hair that sits right below her ear lobes. Certainly well-dressed within the premises of the building; with a lilac blouse on and well-fitted jeans, with a pair of low pumps. Her clipboard in her arm and the blue tag pinned against her lovely blouse gave away her position as an intern. Then, this would explain why she would be around Zayne.
But, it does not explain the scenario when she said something with a grin and your normally emotionless boyfriend smiles back, all the while adjusting his necktie. Arbitrarily, you were not really affected by his reactions. He is human afterall. Although humourless most of the time, but it still does not deny him the opportunity to take in a good joke and react naturally to it. The young man nodded his head and you watched the intern walked off before you looked back to Zayne, noticing he already has his eyes on you and is already strutting over to you.
"Hey Zayne." You greeted him warmly, a smile on your face but not lurching forward to hug him as the both of you had agreed to not display any PDAs when he is still within his work premises. "Who's that just now?"
"An intern I was assigned with two months ago." He spoke, eyeing the watch on your wrist. "I see you are making good use of the Rolex. It's about time an adult like you keep track of your own time." You shot him a look of discontentment at his usage of puns but still laughed either ways. "I've gotten us a table at a nearby restaurant, let's get going."
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"How's the steak?" Zayne asked, his hazel orbs glided from your face to your plate and back to your face again, expecting an answer.
The restaurant looked amazing, elegantly decorated in shades of white and gold, mirroring the decors and theme from those mythical stories that hailed from the ancient Greek and Roman mythologies. Gargoyles made of porcelain fitted within the alcoves of the vined halls, recessed within the stilts that holds up the ceiling.
"It is good, as per usual from your choice." You catch his eyes briefly and diverted your gaze back onto the meal in front of you. "What is the name of the intern?"
Zayne paused, taking a moment to sip onto the orange juice he had ordered and dabbing the napkin over his lips. "Azalea."
"It's funny how she was never mentioned to me before." It is your turn to lay down your cutlery this time, repeating the steps as what Zayne had done but the only difference is that you sipped onto lemon tea rather than orange juice. "Despite it has been two months."
The man that sat in front of you eased back into his chair, sighing. "I just figured she is an intern and that what goes on between me and her on a daily basis are not worth to be mentioned about. It seemed unnecessary." Your question was not meant to be an argument starter but with the way how Zayne sounded so dismissive about this intern of his, you could not help but to grow suspicious of things between them. When you are about to say something else, a subtle vibration was heard and you caught sight of Zayne's phone screen lighting up. "I have to take this." He got up and left the table to take the phone call outside, leaving you within your own realm of questions.
The phone call took a while. Much to your surprise, the name that flashed across his screen was none other than Azalea. Furthermore, the other surprise factor is that the phone call is taking such a while that you are beginning to imagine fishes appearing in your cauliflower soup. When Zayne came back to the table, he looked apologetic somehow, picking up his coat in a swift motion. "I have to return to the hospital now. I have an immediate surgery scheduled at 3pm later."
Walking beside him, you could not bring yourself to ask who was it on the phone as the name showcased on the screen was bright as day and it would not stop flashing up in your mind. You intertwined your own fingers, mentally encouraging yourself to not worry much about the issue as Zayne had always been loyal to you. However, this is where the devil starts pulling its strings when you started wondering was it because of the fact he had always been so loyal that he got bored? Maybe Azalea turned up to be a whole new, fresh, brilliant individual that may have managed to tempt Zayne. Your confidence in the relationship is immediately questioned at that moment.
"I'm sorry I can't fetch you back. Once you're home, drop me a text." Zayne rubbed his palm on the small of your back but his warmth seemingly non-existent. "I will see you soon."
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After the last time the both of you had lunch, Zayne started getting really busy while you, you just got more and more isolated. No, things did not exactly ended between the both of you but at this rate, prepping yourself for the end of days may not be exaggerative at all. The both of you still do have phone calls everyday, but it was textbook-like. The usual greetings and casual singular-sentenced conversations before either one has to run off to work. Maybe sometimes, you might get the luck of hearing Azalea in the background, chattering and laughing off with that nurse that manages Zayne's schedule for the day.
Slowly but surely, the phone calls slowly turned into texts and eventually, your texts became haphazard, even going as far as you having to weigh your mood to determine your willingness to reply. You just could not bring yourself to ask him the question marks in your head, and yet, breaking up is not an option as this may just be a stupid thing to fight and end things up for. So, you struggled alone allowing yourself to be raptured within the palms of your own worries for the future of your relationship. It is also saddening to see that your thoughts now are only full of Azalea; with the memories of you and Zayne but your face being replaced by that intern's features.
A knock on the door made you jolted and you spilled some water onto your shirt. "Tsk, come on. Really?" Muttering to yourself, you got off of the sofa and made your way towards the doorway. Hands hurriedly dusting off the stain the best you could before you came face to face with the person standing at your door. "Hi, how can I—Zayne?"
“I figured you would be at home.” Zayne welcomed himself into your house and you willingly step aside, palms and forehead dripping with cold sweat. His presence has not been exactly expected, but maybe because it was unexpected, you find yourself flabbergasted at his sudden appearance. “You had been very…” He shrugged off his coat, his movements languid but slow, his words churning at the tip of his tongue as Zayne does not want to sound rude. “Distant lately. I came over to check up on you.”
“I was just busy.” You mumbled, toes wriggled against your wooden flooring to trick yourself int thinking time might speed up with this method. It has been a fair amount of time since the two of you had last met up. It has been a fortnight exactly. You missed him dearly but with your own Azalea dilemma, you could not make the judgement for him. Pessimistic one might say and sadly, you admit that you are a prime example for the term.
“Busy catching up on those reality shows of yours I see. That is one way to define busy.” Zayne stepped up to you, his height providing him an advantage to corner you towards your wall. “What’s the matter? You do not look so well. Do you need me to check—”
The extension of his hand was stopped with your grip before he could feel your forehead's temperature. Your cementing grip causing the doctor to raise one of his thin eyebrows. “I don’t need you here.”
“Why?” Subtle but pushy. His deepened voice hinted curiosity. Zayne has never been the one to bear the trait of being assumptive but with how things had developed between the two of you, Zayne himself started realising the amount of doubts that has been growing on him. He is not fond of his particular messy thoughts and he was ought to get an answer out of you tonight.
You released your grip on his wrist and the doctor did not move back, but stayed stagnant in his spot, still staring down at you, hoping that you would at least look up to meet his concerned gaze. He only got slightly disappointed when you lowered your head even further. “You had been cheating on me with Azalea haven’t you?”
Zayne’s eyebrows tilted upwards again, watching your figure growing smaller and smaller in front of him. You are literally shaking, melting, gnawing at yourself for wanting to confront him when your good conscience is asking every bit of you to not mess up what is left of the relationship. Still, a relationship without clarification via communication is as good as not being in a relationship. “Why would you think so?”
You can hear, no. You can feel your mind pushing your heart out of the way like how rugby players be doing on the field, roughhousing the shit out of every opponent they see. “We barely talked, we barely made plans, you are always at the hospital and I had to result to getting updates from your nurse about your schedule and all I see is that intern’s name on most of it. And usually, you would not even have interns on your surgery schedules. What makes her so special?” You wanted to stop yourself but your mouth was no longer yours.
“Not to mention, the way you smiled at her that day when I came by to visit you. It took me a year to get you to at least crack a smile at my stupid jokes but it only takes her two months. Your one-worded responses about her made it seemed like you are really hiding something from me. But, with how things are recently, I am starting to question the basis of our love for one another.”
Tears pricked at the back of your eyes after your yapping came to an end. “When I bought that watch for you to get a sense of time, I do not mean you should be wasting your time on having to crack your head and heart at such wringing issues like this y/n.” His sudden defensiveness made you snapped your head up towards him. How dare he! “I am a man of integrity y/n and I am sorry.” Your anger immediately dissolved, watching Zayne getting down onto one of his knees so that you do not have to crane your neck the whole time while having this conversation. He held your hand slowly, the soft and calloused palms of his matching the heat of yours and he pulled you to sit onto his thigh. “Allow me to explain.”
Apparently, the reason why they are both stuck to the hip is because Zayne was pressured by the medical board to provide her an ‘all-access pass’ to his treatments, surgeries and also anything related to his responsibilities. Zayne is not an advocate for someone who rises through the ranks with nepotism but he was also surprised that she is not just a nepo-baby, but she actually has the brains to be a capable doctor in the future. Hence, Zayne was more willing to overlook his moral judgement for a bit and to actually tutor her according to his own will to create a successful doctor for the near future. When he spoke of the incident whereas he was caught smiling at her, his response is straight. “She is a lesbian and she has a girlfriend.”
Slouched on the couch, you leaned in, nestling your face into his collarbone and you felt the pads of his fingers pressed against your chin and he guided you to look at him. The dashing young man that you are more than glad to acknowledge him as your boyfriend looked extremely seductive under the low light conditions. Zayne’s lips tugged up into a subtle smirk and you noticed the way his eyes flicked in between your eyes and your lips. Perhaps, he owns the talent of being a psychic. “Y/n. From now on, I do not wish for you to worry yourself with such ridiculous thoughts anymore. It concerns me that you are holed up only to yourself when my heart is opened for you and only you my darling. I need you to know that you can always rely on me and I will always be here for you.” The man then leaned down to press a deep kiss onto your soft lips.
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XAVIER - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬
The last thing you expected was to be attending the reunion party held by Captain Jenna on your long-awaited off day. Several other divisions are invited for this reunion as one of the main purpose for this party is to encourage everyone to let off some steam as well. You tugged lightly at the collar of your turtleneck, feeling like the outfit is not only choking you but your lack of motivation to conduct social interaction is having a grip at your trachea too. "It's nice to see you here." A familiar voice rung past your hearing and you watched your boyfriend approached you.
He is rocking his usual hunter outfit but this time it is in white-grey combination rather than the usual white-navy or full-white sets. He took his stand beside you and covered his mouth immediately, a yawn setting into his palms. Even your boyfriend is rhyming to the same mindset of yours of wanting to just have the day to himself or to spend it only with you. "I suppose you did not want to be here either?" You chirped, taking a deep breath and stepping into the hall, with Xavier tailing your shadow.
"Nothing ever beats a good nap. But, I guess I have no choice when Captain Jenna told me that you are obligated to join." He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. Situating himself right next to you. "And I suppose it would not be a bad idea to accompany you in case you get lonely."
The normally neat, simplistic-looking hall is now decorated with colourful streamers and balloons. Standing cocktail tables are aligned near a temporary bar stand that was themed like a Hawaii beach-side bar while fancier banquet tables were placed at the end of the hall. But you gave the party the benefit of the doubt when you noticed a DJ is placed at the very end of the hall, spinning records on their devices. This party is a fun mess.
"I guess this is Captain's idea of a fun party huh?" Xavier asked, question indirectly directed towards you, but mostly towards himself. Cannot blame either one of you as none of you are known to be the best party goers amongst the division. If you both were to be placed into a category for the type of party-goers, the two of you would definitely fit right into the 'non-existent' type.
"Either ways Xavier, I know at least I got you." You turned to him and flashed him a smile and the blond man did the same, patting you on the head as well for his usual comforting gesture. "I think I will go ahead and look for Tara first. I'll see you in a bit."
"Okay. If you get overwhelmed, you can always find me and we can always make an excuse to ride home alright?" His azure orbs were tinted with a shade of baby blue under the garish fluorescent lights. Your nod rewarded you another pat on your head and you dived into the crowds of people, in search for your best friend Tara.
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Honestly, at this moment, you wished you had not been looking for Tara as now you are stuck in this awkward social circle of hers. Conversations consisting mainly of newest fashion trends and celebrity gossips are such new grounds to you, more like never-will-touch grounds of conversation. "Hey, you alright?" Tara's pat on your shoulder snapped you out of your boredom and you blinked a couple of times.
"Y...yeah I am fine." Jeez. You should have asked for an opportunity to leave when you got to but your people pleaser attitude does not really grant you the will to just spit out an excuse and peace out. "I am just not the best at these kind of conversations." At least some parts of the truth managed to be rolled out.
"Girls! Girls! The dance is starting." One of the girls came joining the small circle, her smile stretched from ear to ear. "Let's hit the dance floor!" Then you watched as the freckled girl dragged Tara and another girl --whose name you do not recall-- through the crowd and towards the empty space in the middle of it all. The music suddenly had a drastic warped tune to it and it went from sentimental, lovey-dovey songs straight into songs one would blast in the gym or a nightclub.
You looked around and figured maybe this is the best time for you to plan your escape so you started to squeeze through bodies to get to the exit. As you passed by the dancefloor, a familiar figure reeled your attention and you focused in on the figure only to find Xavier standing in front of a girl, talking in the middle of the dancefloor. With the amount of people occupying the dancefloor, there is no doubt some form of physical contact would occur.
Speaking of which, you watched as a man bumped into Xavier and then he hit against the girl, arms reaching around her shoulder to steady himself. The fluorescent lights suddenly went off and laser-like pointers and stage lights becoming the main source of lighting. It is dimmer for sure, but not dim enough for you to figure out that Xavier and the girl are a little too close in each other's personal bubble.
"Look at that couple there." You overheard someone talking behind your back. "I heard they used to date back in the day but then things did not end well."
"Why? What happened?" Another voice chimed in right when the sentence finished.
"The girl got pregnant or so I heard." Your eyes widened in horror when you heard the story. Why have you not heard of the existence of Xavier's ex-girlfriend? He sure is and always have been a man of mystery but you did not expect that he would refrain to tell you such an important information. Here you thought him telling you about his most embarrassing memories of his younger self is considered intimate enough. You could feel your tears welling up, your gaze blurry as you tore your eyes off of the 'couple' and you stomped off and out of the hall, pushing through the crowd like a loaded bulldozer.
You got out of the crowd by jamming yourself through any visible gaps you can see in the aphotic surroundings. Once you got out of the doors, you took in a deep breath, taking in the smell of fresh air that held hints of sourness. Then, you got onto your bike and zoomed off into the embrace of the darkness.
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Panting, you wiped the ichor off of the sides of your face, hissing at the gash on your wounded arm. A parting gift from the golem that you had just managed to defeat all by yourself. You flipped your wrist over and looked at your hunter's watch. "No more missions assigned to Agent y/n at this moment." The watch reported, the stiff robotic voice eliciting a huff of annoyance from you. Well, it is late in the middle of the night and you should really be on your way home.
You looked up into the skies as you navigated your way back to your vehicle. Stars littering all over the deadened skies provided a sense of relevancy to your self-isolation for the past few months. Your breakup with Xavier was done through a phone call, with you calling things off without even providing a explanation and blocking him right after. Following up, you requested to be switched to another branch and got yourself moved to a new location. Just like this, it was as if Xavier was never a part of your life.
But, he has been such a part of your routine for the past one year that it had left you in a state of bereft, seeking solace within the past fond memories that you had once shared with him. Before your trail of memories gained access to your mind, you halted your footsteps, eyes studying the three separate routes in front of you. Which one had you taken previously?
"Lost?" A voice startled you and you immediately drew your guns out of your garter belt, aimed directly at head shot level towards the source of the voice. But, you lowered your gun eventually when you came face to face with your ex-lover. "Or you just got caught up in your own thoughts?"
Your act of abnegation was shown with you not entertaining his question and instead, takes a step past him. Xavier however, held onto your arm to get you to stop and your wince alerted him of the laceration on your arm. "I'm fine, I do not seek for your care. I can handle it myself."
"Just like how you handled our breakup. Which is not the most mature I'd say." Xavier loosened his grip and sighed, turning to face you and his voice came off softer. "I have been searching everywhere for you, do you know that?"
"Like I'd said Xavier, there is nothing I wish to clarify to you. A breakup is a breakup." You stood your ground, eyes digging its way through the soil if that is an eligible euphemism amidst this awkward moment.
"You not having the wish to clarify the reasons for our breakup does not mean that I do not wish to know about it y/n. So, are you going to break it to me or would you wish to be left alone?" Desperation came upon his voice as he spoke. If you have a better sense of hearing, you might just be able to catch the slight change of octave in his voice. Oh, how you wish you could just disappear right now, just evaporating up into the night skies. "Y/n."
"Why did you kept a secret behind my back? Especially when it involves your ex-girlfriend having a pregnancy?" You managed to spit out after a minute of contemplation. Escaping is not an option for you either when your ex-lover has the ability to teleport within a good amount of range.
Xavier's lips opened and closed again, hesitation flashed across his face and his eyebrows knitted together now. "What?" His response to a question with another question got you curious so you looked at him. The poor young man looked shocked, eyes widened and jaws slacked. "I do not have an ex-girlfriend."
Your confidence crumbled with a big gaping hole in the middle of your heart as you stared at him with the same expression of his. "That day, at the reunion party. I saw you were chatting with a girl and I overheard the conversation from the people beside me stating that the both of you used to share an intimate connection and you got her knocked up--"
Your voice slowly trailed off when the moonlight peeked through the crevices in between the leaves of the trees, illuminating Xavier's lack of expression in front of you. Although he wears a poker face, you can tell that he was borderline amused and yet in a state of pity for your behalf. "Someone owes me a big apology I suppose." Yes, of course you do. "Just to fill in the gaps for you, the girl I was speaking to used to be my partner till she got married and have to take care of her child hence she got transferred to another division. The story that you heard of, was hers, but the guy part, I am definitely not involved."
"I'm so so sorry Xavier. I just couldn't believe what I was hearing and my emotions got to the best of me. I am so sorry." Your lip trembled as you spoke, voice cracking when you finally admitted that you are the jerk for having to pull such a stunt on him over some petty rumours that you refuse to address to him. "I didn't mean to." Your body was jerked forward and your forehead collided with his warm chest. His arms was quick to pull you in for a hug. "I forgive you y/n. It's okay, don't cry." Yet, you still failed to oblige and started to sob into his chest like a child that received her very first lecture. "I am glad I still managed to find you even after all of these months." His hand rubbed soothing circles onto your back until you regained back your composure. His palms rising up and falling down according to the undulating tempo of your breaths.
"Thank you for coming for me." Your arms tightened around his waist and he leaned down to press a gentle kiss onto the top of your forehead.
"I will be looking forward to you making up for this mistake of yours." He smiled, the moonlight cascading onto the both of you like a stage light. "Let's start with no more breaking up over stupid rumours okay?"
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@elysiel is the lovely reader who came up with this idea hence I decided to put my own twist into things so I hope you are very much pleased my love and @prettytemis wished to be tagged when I post this up so here it goes! <3
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after-witch · 2 days
Text
The Glass House [Yandere Mahito x Reader]
Title: The Glass House [Yandere Mahito x Reader]
Synopsis: You get your period and Mahito wants to run a few tests.
Word count: 3465
notes: yandere, consensual relationship, reader is on their period, mentions of other people's torture and death, humiliation relating to period, Mahito being Mahito is his own warning
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It’s not often that Mahito bothers with your bathroom. Only, in the past, when you’ve been in it--naked and wet and usually mid-shower, as he apparently finds it entertaining to see what noises you make each time he surprises you. 
(Once, after comparing him to the killer in Psycho, he’d demanded to then watch the film. ‘But I didn’t stab you and you didn’t bleed chocolate syrup,’ he’d said, simply, after the scene in question.)
Today, though, he’s decided that there must be something interesting in there, because he’s spent the better part of 5 minutes rummaging--you can hear the sound of items being moved--in the closet and, judging by the sound of rustling, he’s now fiddling with the trash can.
“Hey,” he says, finally sauntering out of the bathroom. When you turn to greet him, a sarcastic remark about having fun digging through the trash on your lips, your heart stutters. 
In return, Mahito simply blinks at you.
“What’s this?” He asks, dangling one of your used pads from his hand.
The smear of dried blood in the center of the white pad feels accusatory, out of its proper context in the trash can. A bit of toilet paper sticks to the end of it, remnants of the ball you created to cover up your mess. 
“Oh fuck,” you say, reflexively. “Put that down! That’s--it’s--”
“It’s blood,” he says, giving the pad a sniff. “Smells funny though. Why’s it in your bathroom? Why’s it on this thing? When did you get hurt? Why were you hiding it in the trash?” The questions come simply, nearly rapid-fire. He probably says them as he thinks them.
Your cheeks burn something awful by the end of his questions, and your answer comes out half-stuttered. “It’s--I didn’t get hurt. I’m on my period.” 
One of his fingers is stuck to the bottom of the pad, and he peels it off deftly, holding it closer as you wish you could snatch it from his hands and forget this ever happened.
“Oh,” is what he says, eventually, with a quiet hint of curiosity. “I guess I’m lucky then. I’ve been wanting to study human menstruation for a while now.”
The word study sticks to your chest, but you aren’t able to peel it away so easily. You don’t want him to study you; don’t want to be under his scrutiny in such an obvious way. It’s easier to pretend he knows about people, about humanity, when you’re firmly playing at something closer to a normal relationship.
As if anything about this was normal. 
“Can’t you study one of your… experiments?” 
Experiments. Oh, what a simple, inoffensive word for what they really are--you shake that thought away as easily as a mosquito, though it never truly leaves the room. 
At this, Mahito’s eyebrows raise, and the edge of a smile tickles his lips. 
“Oh,” he coos. “That’s awfully selfish to say, even for you.”
He closes the distance between the two of you now, and you don’t bother resisting when he gives your chest a poke--thankfully with the hand not currently holding your used pad--and encourages you to sit back down on the sofa.
“I want to see.” Simple and clear, like most of the things he says to you. His directness with you is something that does make him stand apart from most people. If he wanted attention, he told you so; if he wanted to be left alone, the same. There weren’t mind games with him or--or hell, if there were mind games, you were too stupid to notice them and that was just fine with you, because the alternatives of your past relationships had been far worse. 
“Why?” You ask, if only to delay the inevitable.
Mahito shakes the pad on his hand, smiling a little at the way it sticks, before he peels it off and sets it on the coffee table. He sighs. “Movies never show it. They always show the woman eating ice cream or screaming at her boyfriend or cuddling with pillows, but they never show what’s actually happening down there.”
You squirm without moving.
“It’s just blood.” Your tone stays flat, uninterested. If he thinks it’s boring, he might move on. “Nothing special about that.”
Mahito’s smile reminds you of an eel. 
“Then show me.” 
It’s not a request that you can parry off, so you don’t bother; instead, you spread your legs, pulling up your skirt so that Mahito won’t do it himself. You might just lose the garment entirely, if it was left up to him.
Mahito claps, then crouches down in front of you, getting far too close to your pad-clad underwear for comfort. He takes a sniff and you’d like to die on the spot.
He gives the pad a poke. 
“Why do you put this in there? What’s it called again?”
You close your legs a little--instinct--and he holds them open for you. It’s easier that way, you think. Easier when he takes control and you don’t have to fight your instincts. 
“It’s a pad,” you force out. “I put it there to absorb the blood.”
He tilts his head. “Why?”
Your nose wrinkles at the question. “So it doesn’t get on my clothes or everything I sit on.” A ghost of a memory pushes through your brain--blood stains on school bus seats and church pews--and you force it down.
Mahito tilts his head, and you think he’s about to ask what you’re thinking about, but instead he sighs and rests his head against the edge of your thigh.
“Humans are so squeamish.” His fingers reach up and climb up your leg, dancing on your inner thighs, towards the pad. You twitch--it tickles--and he smiles. “Does everyone use pads?” 
“No,” you say, as he grips the top of your underwear and begins to slide them down. You do move, now, but not to oppose him. It would be pointless. Instead you hike yourself up a little, so that your bare privates aren’t touching the couch. “Some people use tampons,” you finish, as if you’re not sitting here, hunched on your sofa, while a curse pulls down your underwear to get a look at what’s underneath.
Mahito glances up at you. He wants you to elaborate.
“A tampon is like a cotton stick, I guess? You put it up--there--and it absorbs like a pad. But from the inside.”
“Oh!” The edge of Mahito’s fingers play with the pad on your underwear. “I guess some of my experiments have been on their period, then. I wondered what those were.” He pouts, just a bit. “Maybe that’s why some of my experiments haven’t been working out right. I wasn’t taking menstruation into account.”
The thought has your stomach roiling. But you don’t want to talk about it. Don’t want to think about it--what Mahito does, when he’s not here, and how what he does is just as much a part of him as the moments when he’s snuggling with you in your apartment or fucking you into your mattress.
When you look back at him, he’s grinning.
“You’re squeamish, too. About my work.” He presses a kiss to the inside of your knee. “Don’t worry. It’s cute on you.”
With that, he gives up all pretense, and peels the pad away from your underwear in one swift motion.
“What are you doing?” You ask, even though you know the answer.
“Keeping it.” He sets it next to the already used pad. In contrast, the pad he’s just peeled away still has mostly brighter red blood on it, rather than the dull, brown old blood from the bathroom trash can. “I want to see how long it takes for you to bleed through your underwear. And some more things,” he adds, casually.
Oh, you think. This is too far, too weird. It’s puncturing the bubble you’ve created around you and Mahito in a way you don’t like.
“Mahito, I am not--”
In an instant, his eyes are on you. It’s a look that says, “You are,” and your lips feel like they clamp shut without hesitation. Something low climbs into your stomach and takes root there. When your shoulders slump, defeated, he pats your knee in appreciation.
“We’ll have a slumber party this week,” he tells you, voice getting more giddy as he goes on. “For three days? Four? However long you bleed.” He stands up and begins to survey your apartment, but for what you don’t yet know. “I can get a lot of experiments done in four days.” 
You don’t have the heart--or the stomach--to deny him.
--
When you were thirteen, you once got your period in the middle of class. You didn’t know it until you leaned forward in your desk to get a closer look at what the teacher wrote on the blackboard--your needed glasses at the time, and didn’t yet know it--and one of the boys behind you let out a distinct tween boy guffaw, snickering just loud enough for everyone to hear: “Dude, that’s fucking nasty.”
And then you’d felt it--wetness clinging to the inside of your black pants. And you’d scooted back, looked between your legs, and there it was: a smear of red on the dull grey chair. 
You were too embarrassed to do anything but sit back down, cheeks so hot that you began to sweat, and listened as everyone behind you began murmuring about your period. You had wanted to die for almost two weeks, and for the rest of your school career, you wore a sweater around your waist just in case you started without warning. 
That incident, as life-defining as it had been, was not as embarrassing as what you’re going through right now.
“Mahito,” you mumble, voice thick from your tightened throat. “Is this really necessary?”
Mahito, seated at a folding table he’s hauled into the living room, glances up at you. You, naked as the day you were born and perched awkwardly on top of a porcelain bowl that Mahito had shoved underneath you.
“Which part? The bowl or you being naked?”
“Both,” you blurt helplessly.
Mahito smiles. It’s such a pretty, awful little smile. “The bowl is,” he admits. His eyes leer over your body, awkward as it must look right now. “I just like to look at you.”
God help you, you feel flattered; the warm flush in your skin tingles with the new emotion. Mahito’s praises never failed to make you feel like that, even in the midst of something like this.
Mahito abandons the table and squats in front of the sofa, peering in between your spread thighs at the bowl underneath. You squirm, and he smacks the inside of your thigh sharply. You stop moving.
“I thought it would come out faster.” His tone is soft, low. Detached to everything but mild curiosity. Like a child studying an insect in a chair. “But it’s more… oozing than anything.”
“Don’t call it oozing,” you say. 
Before he can answer, a timer resting on the folding table dings delightfully. Mahito doesn’t waste time and yanks the bowl out from underneath you, leaving you to land flat on the sofa with your bare ass.
“’Hito!” You whine. “It’ll stain!” Thoughts of having to get the smeary blood out of your couch override the desire to keep your whining to a minimum, lest Mahito get annoyed with you. But, you think, it doesn’t matter much now. He’s not even paying attention.
Instead, he whisks the bowl over to the table and places it on the scale to weigh.
He sighs out something like disappointment. “It’s not that much blood at all, really. I don’t know why women complain about it so much in movies.”
He wasn’t paying attention to your whining earlier, but he does hear your incredulous intake of breath at his words. He glances back at you, confusion written on his face.
“What? It really isn’t. Now, when someone loses a limb, that’s real blood loss. And it spurts out, instead of oozing.” He nods, affirming his thoughts to himself. “That would be something to complain about.” 
“It’s not just the blood,” you say, half absent. Your mind drifts to when and where and how Mahito might see someone lose an arm. Did he cut it off? Or another curse? Did the blood droplets spray over his face? Did the person die right away or--
While you were lost in thought, Mahito left his post at the table and returned to crouch in front of you, now sitting flat on the sofa despite the inevitable stains. 
“Go on,” he says simply, all the while pushing your thighs apart with his hands. There’s a bit of blood smeared on the inside of your thighs and he leans forward to give it a lick. The awful feeling nesting in your stomach bristles. 
“Don’t.” 
Mahito blinks up at you. “I want to,” is all he says, before he does it again. 
The look he gives you--Will you try to stop me?--is met with you dropping your chin, just in time to see him smile. He gives another lick. “Tell me what else makes you complain when you’re on your period.”
You think about the sneering boys behind you at school, the way one of them tapped you on your shoulder and said, voice full of glorified condescension, “Aren’t you even wearing a pad? That’s nasty.” 
Instead, you rest your hands on your naked stomach and murmur out the answers Mahito wants to hear.
“Cramps.” You swallow, forcing yourself to taste the ghost of your milkshake from lunch this afternoon and not the bile that wants to come up. “From the um, uterus contracting. It can hurt really bad.” 
One of the girls in the class discretely handed you a pad, but your embarrassment had been so awful that you pretended not to see her, even when she waved it in front of you. “What a bitch,” she’d murmured to a friend afterward. 
“Back pain,” you continue, voice cracking. “And you can get tired. You want to eat but can’t… or you don’t want to eat at all, sometimes. It’s just… a lot of stuff.”
Your body jolts when Mahito puts his hands on your stomach--he wouldn’t transfigure you, he’s said that, and you remember his words well. But it doesn’t stop you from imagining.
“Is that why women get angry when they menstruate?” The mild glare you give him is met with the most innocent of expressions. “What? It’s what all the movies say. Though the man usually gets hit with something after he says it.” He smiles, as if daring you to hit him. You don’t.
Instead, you keep talking. Maybe it’s a way to ground yourself. Maybe you just want to talk to fill the space where dead, disfigured women, corpses created at Mahito’s whim, exist.
“Your hormones can fluctuate.” You smile a little at the forced nostalgia. “Sometimes I get really upset over dumb things. Especially when I was younger. One time, I sobbed because my mom said she was going to get fast food for dinner and she changed her mind.”
Mahito rests his elbows on your thighs, digging into them harshly. His hair tickles your skin, and you wonder, idly, if he’ll get your blood on the silver strands.
“Do you want to cry now?” He asks, almost sweetly. “I wouldn’t mind.”
Do you want to cry? No. You might, though, if things keep going the way they are. So you dig your teeth into your lip and shake your head.
“No. This is just… embarrassing, I guess.” To be naked. To be bleeding. To have Mahito sitting there, your blood on his tongue.
Mahito quirks his head, then scoots back to pry your thighs farther apart so he can get a better view of your bleeding privates.
“I don’t see why humans get so embarrassed about their bodies. It seems silly.” He rests his chin on his elbow for a moment, hums, then hoists himself up and returns to the table where he’s got a few used pads and the bowl still lined up. 
“Mahito?” You ask, while he’s tinkering with his findings. “Can I put my clothes on now. And a pad?”
“No,” he answers, voice light, without even looking behind him. “I need to put this inside you first.”
You do move to get up off the couch now, a pang of fear shooting through your stomach, but you stop when he turns around with a wrapped tampon held aloft. Where did he get it--the thought flickers, and turns into something more pressing: Why does he have it?
But you know the answer, don’t you?
“I don’t use tampons.” A useless thing to say, but you say it anyway.
He simply blinks at you, and crouches back down in front of you, parting your thighs like air.
“They’re uncomfortable,” you try, louder.
This time, he stops moving, and a little bit of hope flickers through you just long enough for him to furrow his eyebrows.
“But when I make my penis, it’s much bigger than this, and you don’t say it’s uncomfortable.”
Your mouth opens to answer, and your tongue sticks to the inside. It’s stupid to argue with him when he’s got his mind set on something. So you don’t.
When you don’t continue to complain, he nods, then unwraps the tampon and skims the back of the wrapper. At least he’s reading the damn instructions, you think, in the instant before he awkwardly shoves the tampon inside you--too rough and hard, and you whimper as it pinches  in an entirely awful way.
Mahito’s lips quirk. He checks the back of the wrapper again, tsks at himself, and pulls it out. This time, the insertion is less chaotic. It’s still sore, but no longer painful. Just… uncomfortable. 
“Aw.” He pats your thigh. “You did great. Let me start the timer!” He jumps up, hair swinging as he rushes to begin the timer for whatever phase of the experiment he’s on.
“Can I put some clothes on now?” Though you’re no longer hoping to avoid staining your sofa, it wouldn’t be awful to be a little less vulnerable in the moment.
Mahito taps his chin with his thumb, considering. Then he shakes his head. “I want you naked. But we can cuddle on your bed for this part, so you don’t get crabby!” 
There’s no time to voice a complaint or offense; he hoists you up, some of the blood that had smeared against your bottom rubbing off on his arm as he carries you into the bedroom. He doesn’t seem to mind; he simply plops you on the bed--fuck, your comforter--and hops on to wrap himself around you.
Silence stretches around you, even as he wraps his arms tighter and presses his nose against your neck.
“Are… we done after this?” You venture to ask, quiet and tired.
Mahito talks into your neck, cold breath--is it even breath?--ghosting your skin. “Oh, no. I have lots of things I’d like to find out this week.” You can feel his smile pressing into you. “You’re being very helpful, you know.”
“I am?”
Mahito hums against you, and sniffs your hair. His answer is so light and sweet, the contrast makes you feel a bit sick.
“Earlier, I’d considered just grabbing someone to experiment on instead, but since you’re being so sweet about everything, I figured I’d just use you instead.”
The dread in your stomach puffs up, its sodden hairs standing on end. 
“So you saved me from having to find at least one woman to test my questions on. Maybe two,” he adds, voice still light. “Doesn’t that feel nice?”
“Nice?” You ask, voice hollow.
Mahito presses a smooch to your neck. “Don’t most people feel nice when they do a good deed?”
A good deed, to stand in for women who might have otherwise died horribly. For women who would have spent their time not thinking about humiliating childhood period experiences but their families--their partners, their children, if they had them. 
A good deed to snuggle with Mahito, while miles away, someone was begging for death from underneath a mass of twisted flesh.
“I guess.” Your voice cracks, but it doesn’t bother him. You suppose a lot of things don’t bother Mahito and so often, you try not to let them bother you. 
He sighs against you, and presses his hands lightly where you’d laid them earlier to indicate your cramps. His fingers dully stroke against the spot, and you wonder what it would feel like for his fingers on you not to bring mild comfort and the growing tingle of affection--but terror and pain and fear.
You wonder, too, if Mahito ever thinks the same thing.
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Text
Nostalgia
A sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period in the past. Or, when the boy you fell in love with finally comes back, bringing a beautiful chaos with him.
Genre: Exes to lovers; fluff
Oikawa Tooru, famous setter for the Argentinian National Team, a Japanese man who became a citizen in another country just so he can make his dream come true. But to you that didn't mean much.
He was your first love. He was the person you love the most. He made your high school years amazing. He also was the one who broke your heart.
.
You met Oikawa in your first year of high school; as classmates, you were used to having a bunch of girls fawning for him, constant love confessions and soft rejections happening right outside your classroom. He was undeniably handsome, but also very smart and passionate for volleyball; it'd be a lie to say you didn't have a crush on him, but you were never one to want to confess. You became friends after partnering up for a project, he found it pleasant that you weren't constantly flattering him, in fact, he found your little remarks fun; you were nice but slightly sassy.
Soon enough you became close friends, and you end up spending more and more time in the gym to watch him practice. You weren't the manager, but you often helped them while doing other stuff, so you got close to them quite quickly; Iwaizumi particularly liked how easy going you were with his best friend.
You also were one of the only ones who managed to stop him from overtraining, always making up excuses so he could come with you without actually making him stop. He was perceptive, he knew you didn't actually need him to go home, but he liked your company and was more than happy to spend time with you.
It was thanks to his intelligence that he remembered everything about you, from your favorite foods and snacks to the ones that you couldn't eat; every time you and the team went to eat ramen he would always took the veggies that you dislike from your bowl almost unconsciously, putting them in his bowl as he gives you some of his in return. You had a bad night? He noticed as soon as you walked in the classroom, going to buy your favorite snack and drink before taking you away from the prying eyes, talking about everything and nothing hoping you would forget whatever was troubling you, or even better, telling him what happened.
So it was no surprise that you two ended up dating by the end of your first year.
Dating him was surprisingly easy, despite the constant love confessions, he never made you feel less loved; always making sure you knew that for him they were just his fans and no more. He always makes sure to hold you close, to spend time with you after practice, to take you out on simple dates, to make sure you know that he loves you and only you.
Your family adores him, and his family adores you too; staying in each other's house was never an issue, your parents knowing that you both know how to take care of yourselves. You two connect on a closer level a week into your third year, one weekend that you spend with him when his family wasn't home. It was clumsy, slightly painful, but full of love and care. You wouldn't have it any other way.
It was during the first interhigh, when Seijoh lost against Shiratorizawa, when he brought the topic up with you. He was talking with an Argentinian coach, one that he had admired since childhood, seeing if it was possible to join them after he finishes high school. The chances were high, really high, so he started learning Spanish to make sure he was ready. At the time you didn't think about it much, you were happy that he was having such a big chance with his love for the sport, you even started learning the language with him so you could help him out. So when he came to you after losing to Karasuno from a place in the spring interhigh telling you that it was confirmed, that he was accepted in the Argentinian team, it hurted.
It was a mixed of feelings; you were happy, happy that all of his efforts in the sport were finally being recognized, happy that he was going to be with his idol, happy that his dream was starting to become a reality; but you were also sad, not knowing what will happen to your relationship. You were selfish, you didn't want him to go, part of you wanted him to be rejected so he could stay; but you weren't that selfish to tell him, you knew that when it comes to volleyball nothing will stop him to make his dream come true, knowing him too well to know that he will put his pride and love for volleyball over everything else, including you. You didn't want to start a fight over this, rather spending that time with him than without. After all you fell in love with that determination of his.
You went to say goodbye to him at the airport, both of you had decided to break up, not because you wanted to, but it'd have been almost impossible to keep a relationship with such a time difference. With one last kiss you say goodbye to him, your heart breaking as he walks away.
.
Years passed, almost 10 years since you last saw him. You studied kinesiology since you ended up liking volleyball and helping the players; you had a boyfriend, a relationship that lasted a while before you broke up. You and Oikawa didn't kept in contact, but you both do follow each other in social media, so you knew the basics of what the other was doing; plus, Iwaizumi was always giving you small little updates.
However, sitting in the bench of the MSBY Black Jackals where the Japanese National Team was practicing, was the last place you expected to see him again. He was walking beside Iwaizumi with a smile, a smile that seems to become brighter once his eyes find yours. His eyes went a bit wider as you feel your heart beating fast, were you happy? Confused? Scared? You don't know, but it definitely was something. Memories found their way to your head, feelings that you thought were more than forgotten seem to start surfacing again.
“hey” he says sitting next to you after a while “wasn't expecting to see you here”
“I can say the same to you” you answer back “what brings you back?”
“My team was invited to practice here in Japan, i had the day off today, so Iwa-chan invited me over” he explains, making you nod
“I'm their kinesiologist, and since i worked with some of them before, it was easier to get the job here”
“Nice, maybe you can help me? My wrist is being weird lately” he says with a small smirk and a clearly fake pain expression
“Does your team not have someone or what?” You look at him with a raised eyebrow
“We do, but i rather have a pretty girl look at it” he flirts with a wink. It makes you chuckle how shameless he still was with his flirting “I'm kidding, I'm totally fine…but maybe we can have dinner together?”
At that moment someone from the team calls you for some help in his stretches, so you look at Oikawa with a smile before standing up to help them.
Once they finished their stretches you began to put your things away, you noticed that Oikawa was talking to Iwaizumi, so you quickly went out of the gym before he saw you.
“Yn-chan! Want to grab dinner with us?” Bokuto asks, walking outside the gym and passing his arm around you alongside Atsumu and Hinata. As the door is closing, your eyes find Oikawa’s, a small frown in his face as he looks at Iwaizumi again.
“Sure, let's go”
.
“Did Shittykawa ask you something when he came?” Iwaizumi asks you, it has been three days since Oikawa came to the gym
“Eh…yeah, he wanted to have dinner together”
“And?” he asks
“I…well, I was overwhelmed. I didn't expect him to be here, so I didn't know how to react”
“Understandable…well, I kinda expected it. He hasn't stop bothering me to give him your number, I haven't done it though, you two have a lot to sort out”
“Thanks” he wants your number? Why, all of the sudden?
“He's coming again today, so you might wanna talk to him” he pats your head lovingly “but also, he's driving me nuts, so please do”
You chuckle, knowing how Oikawa can get and how much he can annoy Iwaizumi. You made a note in your head to talk to him.
A few hours later he's in the gym, interacting with the coach, Iwaizumi, even some of the players right before he comes next to you once again.
“You left mee! So mean, Yn-chan” he pouts sitting beside you
“Sorry, i..i had to do something” you say to him. You had forgotten how much you had miss him and his whiny self
“It’s okay, you were with your…boyfriend?” he looks at you, an emotion that you couldn't describe
“Boyfriend? Bokuto-san? No no, we're not dating, Bokuto it's just…Bokuto” you look at the owl boy, who's now excitedly jumping “what about you? No girlfriend missing you?”
“Nah, the only ones calling me from Argentina are, at most, the workers that are expanding my house” he says, a small smile on his face. You did know him, and while so many years have passed, his eyes are still as expressive as ever: outside of his teammates, he was alone there.
“I know a good ramen place nearby, we can grab dinner there if you want” his eyes get brighter
“Sure”
+
“Haven't had tsukemen in a while, these aren't in many places in Argentina” he says as the server puts your food in front of you
“I imagine it'll be hard to find true japanese food outside of japan” you say looking at your bowl “so, trying to reconnect with your girlfriends, Oikawa-san? I'm sure Iwai told you i was going to be there”
“Oikawa-san? Ouch, Yn-chan, ouch” he says, taking his chopsticks. He instinctively takes the fish cakes out of your bowl, just like he used to do when you were together “you still don't like them, right?”
“Thanks Tooru” the name still rolls out of your tongue easily, as if you were again the same 17 year old kids
“And yeah, I know, i… I wanted to see you again” a rare blush spreads in his face “and for the record, you are the only ex I'm reconnecting with”
You chuckle and take some of his food, he smiles and whines, but he still puts some more into your bowl.
.
“That jacket looks awfully similar to Seijoh’s” you comment to the man who was waiting outside the gym, white with light blue accents; and it suddenly feels like high school all over again, him waiting outside the gym while you locked it up, looking at the sky before smiling at you. It's eerily how similar it felt, the only difference being his physique and the fact that his back had an ARGENTINA written on it
“Take a photo, it lasts longer” he ruins the moment, noticing how your eyes are still glued to his body, a smirk appearing on his face; smirk that disappears when you hit him “What was that for?!”
“Shut up Shittykawa”
“Not you too!” He whines, but you can only see playfulness in his eyes as he extends his hand “mind joining me on a walk?”
You look at his hand, you want to hold it, see how it feels to hold it again, but you're still hesitant; so instead, you pass him your backpack and start walking. He chuckles, but follows right behind you.
+
You end up walking towards a familiar place, a park that was near Aoba Johsai, a park where you and Oikawa used to go constantly after school. It was involuntary, both of you were just walking without a destination set, a comfortable silence between you two.
“Remember when we made a study group in our second year?” He asks pointing at a tree
“The one where you refused to study and laid on my lap? Or the one where you “accidentally” pushed Iwa into the lake?” you chuckle
“It WAS an accident!” he says offended
You sit on a bench near said lake, your legs almost touching from how close you were. You notice him shiver, the night was getting colder and he only had the flimsy jacket on that clearly wasn't made for this temperature. You take your bag and took out a scarf you had, getting closer to him to wrap it around his neck.
“We can't have the most talented setter get sick, can we?” You say smiling at him, as you try to move away he held your hands
“I think my hands are slightly more important from keeping them from freezing” he says, looking directly into your eyes
“You just want me to hold them” you raise an eyebrow, but still give in, taking his hands and trying to wrap yours in a way so it can bring some warmth. He chuckles, moving them to properly hold them
“I missed you” he sighs after some silence “I thought I was over you, that I'd be able to move on and find someone else, but I couldn't. I tried, I had some girlfriends, but it never felt…right, and I didn't know why. Until I saw you in the gym again. I actually hoped that you would have move on, so at least i didn't have a single chance, but here we are”
“We are”
These past days, you also thought you were over him, that your feelings for him were nothing more than nostalgia, but this week you were so happy, so happy to have him again.
But the truth is, you didn't have him back. He wasn't yours again.
“But I'm not dating you again. After your training camp here is over, you're going back to Argentina, and I don't want to leave Japan; long distance relationships aren't safe either. I love you too much to hold you back now that you finally achieve the dream that you work so hard for, I'm not that selfish”
You barely can finish your sentence before you feel his lips on yours. You're surprised, but your body instinctively reacts to it, kissing him back. His lips were just as soft as they were years ago, and the kiss made you feel the same butterflies as if you were 16 years old.
“I have a week more, give me some time” he whispers, his hands cupping your face as if you were the most delicate thing he has ever hold “but for now, let me have this again”
That night you both end up in your house, making up for all the years you both lost.
.
A week later and Oikawa proves to be the same amazing boyfriend that he was before. He still manages to make you blush, manages to prove just how much he missed you.
Now you're in your apartment, he was talking on the phone, an important call that led him to your room -after giving you an apologetic kiss- while you were sitting on the couch. 30 minutes pass when he comes out again, a smile on his face.
“Hey princess” he calls you, pulling you closer as he sits “remember that I'm leaving tomorrow night?”
“Yeah…why?” you were trying to avoid thinking about it, knowing that tomorrow night your heart will be broken again
“Well, I know you said that long distance relationships are impossible for us, but…” he press your forehead closer “will you be able to wait for me every few months?”
“Eh? Stop going around the bush and say it” you hit him slightly, anxious to know what he has planned
“So impatient” he chuckles, kissing you again “tomorrow I'm signing an exclusive contract with the Panasonic Panthers. I'm playing for Argentina for the important leagues, meaning VNL, the Olympics and such; but for smaller leagues happening within the country, I'll play here, meaning I can stay here for a few months and come back to Argentina for the rest”
You were ecstatic, shocked with the sudden news about it, you kiss him.
“But…but didn't you go to San Juan because of the coach? Don't you want to stay there?” you ask worried
“Yeah, and it was amazing to be trained by him…but coming here I realized that you are my home, that I want to be with you, and some sacrifices need to be made” he pulls you into his lap, holding you close as he looks at you into your eyes “i already sacrificed you for the sake of my dream, now that my dream became reality, I'm not sacrificing you again”
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holylulusworld · 3 days
Text
Go to hell
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Title: Go to hell
Written for @buckybarnesbingo (Round 6)
Card: B004
Collaborator(s): Holylulusworld
Square Filled: K4: "Oh, hell no."
Ship/Main Pairing: Mobster!Bucky Barnes x Ex!Reader
Rating: Mature
Major Tags/Triggers/Warnings: jealousy, ex! sugar babe trope, mentions of daddy kink (but no one is into it), groping, fluff, hopeful ending
Summary: He let you go.
Word Count: 1,3k+
BBB BuckyBarnesBingo 2024 masterlist
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Written in Bucky’s PoV
She does it on purpose. I just know it.
Why else would she waste her beauty and grace on someone like him?
He’s old enough to be her father, and I’m sure she doesn’t have a daddy kink or daddy issues. I know her well, and she never showed any signs of being into men double her age.
She came here to my party with that man I despise the most. Not weeks ago, she was mine and screamed my name.
I said the wrong things after that night. I saw our relationship in a different light and had to make myself clear.
Now she hangs on that grandfather’s arm like a random arm candy, not the goddess she is. My girl always hated men treating her like a stupid bimbo. She is smart, and charismatic, but hides it well to play the perfect doll for this man.
I unclench my metal fist because, if I don’t, I’ll break that guy’s face. He leans closer to whisper something in her ear and Y/N giggles like a schoolgirl.
That’s not the noise she made when I whispered filthy things in her ear. She whimpered my name, and her knees buckled.
What she does with that man is all for show. She pretends to be with him to get back at me for not fulfilling her wish to make things between us official.
“If you keep in staring at her, you’ll hurt yourself,” Ayo smirks at me before turning her gaze toward the woman I was watching all night instead of enjoying the party. “I wonder how she ended up with him. I thought you and Y/N were going steady.”
“She was fun for a while,” I brush Ayo’s question off. I made my decision and won’t discuss it with people working for me. “Now the fun is over, and she can go out with whoever she wants to.”
“Says the man watching her all night,” ever the observant bodyguard she watched me all night only to find her boss staring at my ex-girlfriend…or rather sugar babe. “If that was my woman, I’d go over there and stab that old man’s face for grabbing her ass.”
“Grabbing her ass?” I jerk my head toward Y/N only to find her smiling at the guy. I exhale sharply when she pushes her ass into his crotch to grind into him.
Ayo dips her head to look at me. “It’s not too late, White Wolf.” She says before turning to take her place in the shadows to have my back like she always does. “Why don’t you go over there and show that little man whom your woman belongs to…?”
My shadow is not wrong. I could go over there and show that bastard Y/N belongs with me. But do I want to? If I step on that man’s toes, it means trouble. Even worse, Y/N will believe that I’m jealous of that old man.
“Ayo said you need my help.” I roll my eyes when Steve stands next to me. He tried to talk me into winning Y/N over the last few days. “How can I help you?” Steve smirks at me, like the cocky bastard he is. “Do you want me to bring her here? I can just throw her over my shoulder.”
“Why are you all so obsessed with her? I don’t want her back. She can fuck whoever she wants to. Even that old man’s dick,” I huff, and look away when she rubs herself against the man’s body.
“Do you want her to fuck him? Imagine she rides him, and he gets a heart attack,” Steve tries to be funny, but I can’t laugh. “She’s meant to be yours, not some old bastard’s toy.”
“She chose him,” I shrug. “And she won’t come back to me. I cannot offer what she wants from me.”
“A good dick?” Steve snickers.
“Commitment.”
“What did Beyoncé say?” God, I hate my best friend when he quotes songs. “Ah, yeah. If you like what you see put a ring on it.”
“You’re not helpful,” I sneer at Steve. “Stop quoting pop stars.”
“Punk. Beyoncé is not a pop star. She’s a goddess…” He grins before downing his drink. “If I had the chance with your girl, I’d put a ring on her finger.”
“You are a slut and love to whore around, Stevie,” I know Steve better than he knows himself. “You’ll never put a ring on a girl’s finger.”
“Maybe not her finger,” he gives me the dirtiest smirk in the history of dirty smirks. “I know better body parts to put rings on. I know that girl wearing a ring on her pussy lips.”
“I didn’t need to know that” I decide to get fresh air. If I stare at Y/N a little longer I’ll change my mind and break that old man’s face.
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“Oh, hell no,” I hiss under my breath. All I wanted was to get fresh air, and now I’m staring at her backside because she had the same thought. She’s sticking her ass out, making her short dress rid up. I can see her panties, and my cock stirs in my pants. Treacherous bastard.
She turns around, and my stupid heart does somersaults when she looks me up and down. Y/N smirks, tongue poking out to wet her too-red lips. I remember she loved to leave my cock stained with her favorite color.
“You’ve got to be shitting me!” She exclaims loudly. “Where is he? What did you do to him?”
“I did nothing to your gramps. Why would I? It’s not as if he touched what’s mine,” I snap at her, and she flinches. I regret my harsh words because she turns around to not look me in the eyes.
“Well, then leave me alone. He’ll be back in a minute. At least he’s not afraid to show anyone that he loves having me around.”
She ignores me then, staring into the distance as I stand behind her to admire her ass for a little longer. “Why him?”
“Why not?” There was venom in her voice, but her shoulders shook for a second. “After you tossed me out, I had to get back up and move on.”
“By selling yourself to that slimy bastard?” I don’t know why, but I grab her arms to press her against my chest. “Tell me love.” I nuzzle her neck. “Does he fuck you as good as I did?”
“He needed someone to pretend he still got it. And I needed someone to take care of me. Love didn’t work out for me so, that’s all I get for the time being,” she answers honestly as I drop my hands to her waist. “A limp dick, and a man believing I’m nothing but a doll he can dress and show off.”
She holds her breath when I kiss her neck. “How about I remind you how good it feels to be taken care of by a man not giving a shit on you.”
“Oh, Steve will finally make a move?” I chuckle at her comeback. “I didn’t know he’s into me but why not? I’m free as a bird.”
“Come to my bedroom, doll,” she sighs at the pet name, but doesn’t give in so easily. “Forget about him.”
“I told you that I can’t do this with you any longer,” her voice trembles as she struggles to not give in to my advances. “Love wasn’t in your plans. You told me so.”
“What if…” I bite my tongue for a second and take a deep breath. Maybe she doesn’t care for the old man and his dick. But soon enough someone will come along to turn her world upside down. “I’ll put a ring on that finger one day?”
“One day?” She sounds surprised but allows me to slip my hand between her quivering thighs. I find her panties soaked, and her pussy in need of my touch.
“How about we talk about our relationship in my bedroom?” I purr in her ear. “I promise you won’t regret it.”
“I can’t leave him all alone.”
“You can,” I nip at her earlobe, “and will, baby doll. If you do, I’ll put a ring on that finger…”
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fragileheartbeats · 3 days
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⌗ 𝘚𝘜𝘕𝘋𝘈𝘠 𝘏𝘊 ⁝ 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦 ( ♱ )
˚꒰♡꒱‧ Hi there! Before you read this, you should know that English is not my first language Hope you enjoy!
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I can see Sunday as one of the most delusional yanderes in the game. He's not a sadistic person, but he's someone who doesn't see any problem in hurting you if that's what it takes.
The world is gray in his eyes, devoid of color and warmth. But in his bleak existence, you shine brighter than anyone else. Your smile is a gentle sunrise, your eyes are a soft, comforting dusk. You are his beacon, his solace, the only touch of beauty in a life filled with shadows.
You're different in his eyes. Not truly different, but to him, you are extraordinary. He loves everything about you, from the way your hair cascades over your shoulders to the glistening tears that fall from your eyes. Your presence brings a semblance of color and warmth to his otherwise monochrome existence.
He likes to believe that what he's doing is right. He convinces himself that he’s helping you by keeping you close, away from the harshness of the outside world. He thinks he's protecting you, preserving your purity and beauty forever.
It's okay, he tells himself. It's okay if he broke your legs, if he hurt you. It's okay if you bleed, if you cry, if you hate him. It's all okay.
Because in the end, he's doing it for you. It's all for you. It's all because of you.
Look what you made him do! Look at what he has become! Why are you doing this? Why did you make him fall for you? Why did you smile so beautifully at him? Why did you show him what love means? Why? Just why?
He didn't want to take it this far. He only wanted you to listen, to understand, to believe him, to love him.
But you didn’t. And look what happened. Can't you see it hurts him as well? Can't you see he doesn't want to do this? Why do you force him to do it?
He didn't want to break you, to hurt you, to kill you. He never imagined it would lead to something so painfully tragic.
He remembers the first time he saw you, how his heart skipped a beat, how his breath caught in his throat. You were a vision, an angel in his dark world. He wanted to protect that light, to keep it close to him, to never let it fade away.
But as time went on, his love grew darker, more possessive. He couldn't stand the thought of you being with anyone else, of you smiling at someone else the way you smiled at him. He started to see threats everywhere, dangers that could take you away from him.
He wishes he could do better. Love you better. Keep you better. Please come back! He'll change! He'll do anything you ask. He'll give you anything you want.
What do you want? Just name it! Do you want him to beg on his knees like a dog? He will do that!
He won't break your bones anymore. He won't keep you in your cage anymore. He won't put a collar on you anymore. He won't mock you anymore. He won't hurt you anymore. Just please, please smile at him again. Let him see that light once more.
He is willing to destroy himself for you, to become whatever you need, just to see your happiness. His love, warped and twisted, remains boundless. He is lost without you, a soul adrift in the darkness, clinging to the hope that you might yet forgive him.
Please, don’t leave him in this darkness. Let your light guide him back. Even if you can never love him, even if you can never forgive him, just let him see your smile once more. Let him believe, if only for a moment, that there is still beauty in the world.
Just please, please smile at him again.
Please...
He sits in the dark, watching you cry in your sleep, tears streaming down his own face. He whispers to himself, trying to convince himself that what he's doing is right, that it's for your own good. He strokes your hair gently, his touch soft and tender, in stark contrast to the violence he’s inflicted upon you.
Every tear you shed feels like a dagger to his heart, but he tells himself that it’s necessary. He tells himself that he’s saving you from a world that doesn’t deserve you, from people who can’t appreciate you the way he does.
But deep down, he knows. He knows that he’s the monster you need saving from. He knows that his love is twisted and wrong. And it breaks him.
He clings to the hope that one day, you’ll understand. That one day, you’ll see that everything he did was out of love. That one day, you’ll forgive him.
But until then, he’ll keep you safe in the only way he knows how. Even if it means breaking you. Even if it means breaking himself.
Because in the end, he's doing it for you. It's all for you. It's all because of you.
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@ 𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒔 . 𝐷𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑒, 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡, 𝑜𝑟 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑦 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑠 𝑜𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑠.
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himezoro · 20 hours
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your roman empire with the one piece men
that small gesture or word he said that entered your mind and never left.
starring : zoro, luffy and law !!
word count : 889
author's note : again, i'm so sorry for posting so rarely, working and planning a wedding has to be the most exhausting thing ever, i promise to go through all of your requests and to be more present, tysm for your support ♡౨ৎ⋆.˚ some of these scenarios have been inspired by moments i often think about in my life, can you guess which hahaha??
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zoro was smitten with you, and longed taking a step forward in your camaraderie, and everyone with a pair of eyes could see it. so when nami told him he was on errand duty with you and only you today, the swordsman knew it was his shot to get closer to you.
gosh, you were gorgeous walking around the alleys with the wind blowing your hair and diffusing your hypnotizing scent. and there he was, walking by your side like a guard dog with his hands the pockets of his jacket, listening to your enchanting voice.
the errands were nearly coming to an end, and zoro did not dare to "make a move", which he knew he would regret. the alleys got more crowded and he was afraid to lose you, especially since his orientation is not the best, though his senses would always bring him back to you. he knew that.
as zoro listened to you and internally debated on whether he should say something about his feelings or not, his body acted on his own, finally closing the distance.
as he gently grabbed your left hand with his right one, intertwined his fingers with yours, before putting both of his hand and yours in his right pocket, acting like it was the most natural gesture on earth.
and the butterflies in your stomach never died since.
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luffy has always brought joy to your life and fed your desire for adventures and fun. he lit stars to your world and invited you to let go of pressure and have fun, not minding about third parties' opinions. a lot of people would question your couple association because of luffy's exuberance, but all them be damned. the future king of the pirates brought you back to life and no one could make you happier.
a sudden rain came down pouring on the grand line and the wind blew hard. the entire crew started running around to put back inside the furnitures that were left outside. the rain was so much that it started freezing and you started to run to your quarters. yet, as you were about to finally reach your door, a pair of elastic arms grabbed you and brought you back outside under the pouring rain, their owner sporting a huge, bright grin on his face.
"luffy!!! what the hell are you doing? it's raining and we'll catch a cold!!"
"chichichi, i wanted to dance with you, (y/n)!" he beamed, his eyes adoringly pleading yours to allow his antics as he started twirling you around under the pouring rain.
between laughters only him could exulate, you tried to bring him back to his senses.
"but luffy, honey, we can't dance under the rain! it's cold and there's no music playing!"
luffy did not mind your ramblings as he kept on twirling you around, his hand standing on your the small of your back the whole time, his thumb occasionnaly drawing circles. with a determined gaze and his signature smile on his face, he pressed his forehead on yours, the rain drops falling from his nose to your lips from the closeness.
"together, there's nothing that we can't do (y/n). after all, i'm the future king of the pirates!!"
his laughter hugged the atmosphere and made your heart race even more.
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your relationship with law was a secret on the submarine, and it was hard for you to hide your adoration for your boyfriend. after all, what wasn't there to love? law was smart, composed, mature and commited. yet, sometimes, it felt so easy for him to "ignore" your status in front of the crew or anyone for that matter, which tended to hurt your heart. did law appreciate you the way you did? was it unrequited?
little did you know, law had a hard time not paying as much attention as he would when with the others. because he had a lot of work, even when the others were not around, it did not mean the two of you could see each other. therefore, the soft gestures he wished to cover you with were quite lacking. and of course, he was the one to have asked to keep the relationship a secret, and because of his prideful persona, he would not admit it was not a good idea.
you and bepo were getting ready to work around the submarines for your chores of the day. you were busy going around the submarine with your chores tool and bepo, and failed to notice your shoe laces came undone.
and of course, this would not go unnoticed by law. the captain could not stop himself from going to you with a frown, which surprised (and scared) both of you and bepo.
is there anything you did wrong? why was he looking so pissed off?
"idiot. you could trip and injure yourself." your boyfriend sternly spoke, kneeling to the floor to tie your shoe-lace, leaving bepo dumbfounded and yourself out of breath, with a racing heartbeat.
"you know i don't want you to get hurt." he said getting up, his hot breath tickling your cheek in the process, his warm hand resting on yours, silently promising to show his adoration for you like you deserve.
and you swore you could still feel the warmth of his hand from that day again.
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Aita for making my partner feel bad about sex?
NSFW Warning for this one, tl;dr at bottom. Sent in May 26th, 2024, goat to locate later
🐐
I (23FtM) have been with my partner “Jake” (25M) for about seven months now. We met at work, were friends for a while, and decided to start dating after we realized we had feelings for each other
Please let me say that Jake is a good boyfriend. He takes me out, we share big purchases, our families get along, and he’s always been super supportive of me in the ways he can be. I would also like to say that I haven’t medically transitioned yet and very much do NOT pass as a man. Despite this, he’s never misgendered me and he’s always been really good about making me feel masculine.
So not long into our relationship, I disclosed to him that I have vaginismus (or whatever it’s called), and it means that I can’t really be on the receiving end of penetrative sex until I do some muscle therapy for my downstairs. Like it hurts when I try to insert anything into myself, always has since I was younger. No tampons, no fingers, especially no penises. Jake said this was fine and that he had confidence in his ability to make me feel good in other ways
Well… it’s been six months and I’ve never actually finished. He bought me a little rose toy to use, but he never grabs it while we’re intimate and when he does try to use it, he fumbles with it and decides not to use it and that me doing oral on him would just be easier. I can understand that for a quickie, we won’t have time to find what buttons to push that’ll make me finish, but most of the time we’re home alone, my roommates are out, and we’ve got all night.
And before anyone says anything: I have brought this up before. First time was what led him to buying the toy. It’s a good toy, I guess, but it does what my fingers would already do and he never takes the time to learn how to use it properly without hurting me. Second time I brought it up, he got really apologetic and asked me to use the toy while he touched himself next to me. I think that was the first time I finished in proximity to his body in our entire relationship. It didn’t feel good. Several friends pushed me to talk to him again, so I did.
I went to his place, Jake lives with his mom still, and I was trying to find a good place to talk to him, but he kept talking about work or his sisters or would turn on an anime that he knew I liked. The day ended with me giving him oral and then me going home. It almost seemed like he was going to reciprocate, but he hesitated and rolled off me. It really hurt my feelings, but I chickened out of telling him since he looked so happy to spend time with me.
Yesterday, he came over and I was finally able to squeeze in a joke about him being a “pillow princess” and his reaction was to get worked up and initiate sex to “prove” he wasn’t. It went the same as every other time - oral - him receiving, fumbling with toy, and then giving up. But he was smiling like he had done something revolutionary in our relationship and I just. Stared at him. He asked me what was wrong and I said hadn’t finished. He had a sad face now and said that there really wasn’t “much I can do while you’re, you know” while gesturing to my genitals.
I felt like crying, but I didn’t want to be the boyfriend who started crying over every little thing, so I just agreed with him and we cuddled until I drove him home. Before meeting Jake, sex was never a large part of any of my relationships. Half because I’m on the asexual spectrum, half because of my condition, so this would be my first serious sexual relationship. I love Jake, I love him so much, he was there for my when my mom passed away last year, and he was there for my college graduation.
On the drive back, he was really quiet so I asked him if he was alright. He said he was really hurt by my pillow Princess comment and asked me if I could take it back, that it made him feel like a bad boyfriend. I apologized for him feeling bad, but I didn’t outright take back what I said. He got out of my car still sad and I returned home feeling like k was gonna throw up.
So now I’m writing this to see if I fucked up. Maybe I should have been more assertive with my needs, maybe I should be more compromising so that everyone feels good. Idk.
TL;DR: I called my boyfriend a pillow Princess because he’s never made me finish during sex while I’m always serving him. He got upset and said I was calling him a bad boyfriend. Aita?
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luvvixu · 1 day
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the end
synopsis: the end of your relationship was inevitable. that's why both of you and gojo satoru individually prepare yourselves against the pain and separation of an upcoming divorce. and when that thing came, you suddenly found yourselves trapped inside the circle of your marriage where denial is present, and acceptance is absent. let us all see how the marriage walk through the end.
tags: divorce!au, ex-husband!gojo, angst, hurt/no comfort, mentioned of death, mentioned of trauma, read at your own risk
a/n: here's an almost 8k words of oneshot about gojo marriage again. i've mentioned this before but im taking a very small break and will be back on june 5 with an update regarding to the chapter of mind over matter ff. be sure to check out the announcement!
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it was a peaceful morning on your balcony with satoru gojo, your husband for almost two years. you are reading your newly purchased book with your glasses on to help you see the letters.
you take a second peek at your husband who was already gazing at you from the beginning. his gaze was painted with a mixture of sadness and adoration towards you. looks like he had something to say, and you're right, he did have something to say when he mumbles your name.
oh god, you knew where this conversation would be. keeping your eyes bore on him, you fully turned your attention to him and waited for him to speak what's on his heart and mind.
"i think we should file a divorce."
his voice was monotonous and yet you knew it really wasn't, his face also did the same since you also didn't hold one either. your expression still remained calm like he was not asking for a divorce as you closed your book and then put it back on the coffee table.
meanwhile, satoru couldn't read you at this moment because you were quiet, too quiet for his liking. were you so shocked that you couldn't react to his sudden cut of ties? or was it just you already expected this the moment when you woke up?
probably, the most accurate reason and answer was the second one. satoru watches you lean on the seat with your hands clasp on your lap. he also never fails to see the neutral glaze in your eyes.
"if you are wondering why i didn't hold any emotion as you speak, that's because i already reacted a year ago." a sigh escalated from your lips as you removed your glasses also and put it on the table.
"you expected that this day would come?" he said in silence while secretly fiddling with the calluses on his hand—a hidden and canonical habit of satoru whenever he feels anxious and worried.
before this day would come, the two of you got married when both of you were twenty. a young, dumb, and somehow not stupid but definitely reckless who took a big tramp of change among themselves.
satoru was the one who asked you to get married after almost four years of being inside an on and off relationship. that was very fast and very reckless at that time—but of course you agreed because you are a fool to get yourself blinded by your love towards him.
so, the two of you got married and with only some people whom you both held close dearly attended the said wedding. it was simple and civil, but to you, it was your everything. the wedding and this marriage mean so much to you.
your marriage went pretty well in your first few months of being married. both of you got yourself a house with a nice garden that you absolutely adore, you also got yourselves a work almost instantly too. satoru got more missions since he was now a graduate, while you work in your own cafe and occasionally take jujutsu stuff.
things were really fine with heaven as the witness. until one night during your almost first anniversary, you caught him going home around three to four o'clock in the morning with a smell of alcohol and woman's perfume that's definitely not yours. he's really drunk, which was weird because he hates alcohol. you wondered what's the occasion or any celebration that should be celebrated and whatnots, but you can't think of any. so that leads you to silently crying.
you did not confront him about your first suspicion of cheating, you want him to admit it himself, but that doesn't mean you're going to tolerate that piece of shit because for god's sake! there's a fucking hickey on his neck that night, you knew it wasn't yours since you've barely had an intercourse due to both of your busy schedules.
you remember asking him about his whereabouts that night like you weren't aware, but his answer just disappoints you, he told you that he had an emergency mission and needed him in action asap at kyoto around 11pm and it took him some time to finish it. as mentioned before, his answer disappoints you, because your assumption has been partially proven.
satoru was clearly lying about his whereabouts that night but still the cheating allegations were not clear. maybe the seemingly foreign hickeys on his neck was already evidence but you're probably still in denial, so you didn't instantly conclude that he was really cheating with you.
but you still couldn't shake off his illicit affairs. why? because satoru was lying about the emergency mission on kyoto. he wasn't there, you knew that because you were the one who took the mission, not him. satoru actually rejected the mission because he's busy with other matters so you took it yourself without even telling him.
all of these things that are happening leads you back to that day when he proposed to you. it was so sudden that it made you a little bit skeptical. but when you asked him why he suddenly asked you to get married? easy, you didn't know.
however, you had your hypothesis that after geto disappeared and went on his rebellious phase, you let gojo use you to relieve his grief. that is why when you realize that this marriage is meant to not last long, you secretly cry to yourself during your first year anniversary as a married couple.
meanwhile, satoru knew to himself that he couldn't stand a long-term relationship. though he also started to feel bad for making things go very quickly with you, his love towards you is pure and genuine. in fact, he would do anything just to keep you safe and happy. but he wasn't able to do that when you're the opposite of him.
he is selfish and you are selfless.
no matter how hard he tried to change or even make things up for you, he just couldn't do it. there's this invisible dark string that pulls him inside the void of darkness. and he couldn't afford to bring you down with him. the thing that geto did really left a scar, a permanent scar to his chest that creates an inescapable hole that keeps on growing bigger and sucking his life in the process.
while you, you fully commit yourself to him. that's why everything would be pointless for satoru to let himself get hurt just to protect you. because you would literally throw yourself in the fire when he's burning.
it was like the two of you are a magnet with the same pole. you can't attract each other no matter how hard you try to let them collide.
back to reality, your head was faced downward. your husband sought for your eyes by calling your name meticulously, but you refused. an internal laugh at your pathetic figure rang through your mind, you are laughing at yourself for believing that you are already prepared for this moment, turns out, you're not—you’ll never be.
satoru mumbles your name again. and all of the sudden, you just let out a nod, followed by a small sigh. you let yourself look at him again despite the unnoticed tears in your eyes.
"okay, but let's spend this whole day as husband and wife for the last time. let's do the things we usually do during our free time." you said, and satoru agrees with you almost instantly. he thinks this is the least thing he could do for you before setting each other free.
everything went normal for the rest of the day. satoru takes you out for lunch, visits your favorite cafe for desserts, and even goes to the park where he asked you out to be his wife.
and right now, the two of you are in the cemetery, specifically in haibara's graveyard. the sun was proceeding to its dusk, making the place a bit solemn because of its ambience.
"do you think he'll be mad at my decision?" your soon-to-be ex-husband asked you with his small tired voice. haibara was your bestest friend of all and he actually talked to gojo when he's still alive about his relationship with you. he would like gojo to take care of you and treat you more than you deserve in your entire life.
"i don't think so. haibara only wants the best for us. he's a man of freedom, after all. and yet, how ironic because he, himself, has no freedom during his time in the jujutsu." you answered him as you watched the candle burn itself.
satoru looked at you. "how about you, y/n? are you mad at my decision?" he asked you a bit hesitant.
you just smiled at him and said, "i will answer that later, satoru." satoru nodded at your answer, he understood that you had a lot to say to him later.
after some time, you two decided to go home to your shared apartment. the journey back was fun and relaxing, it was filled with smiles and laughter that will soon vanish as the dawn is coming.
6:00 PM
both of you arrived at home. you helped satoru hang his coat on the raker like you usually do whenever he comes home during winter. this small act is something that would be definitely missed by him dearly, since you will not be around to do it.
"thanks for agreeing to go out with me." you said to him with a smile that almost reached your eyes. the only thing that stops you from giving your bestest smile was the divorce, but you subside because this is your last day as a married couple. you have to enjoy it to the extent.
"that was the least thing i could do for you before…nevermind." he said. satoru was not cheerful enough to make you smile whenever your eyes met. you also noticed that he was downhearted since you visited haibara's graveyard.
though as you were heading in your shared apartment, he was smiling and laughing. guess you didn't overlook him at all and you failed to notice his hidden pain.
you watched him lay down on the couch. "you looked bothered. was it because i didn't answer your question earlier?" you said quietly.
satoru didn't say anything, and according to his vocabulary, silence means yes. you sigh to yourself and take a seat on the same couch where your husband was lying in.
your hand reached out for his face, cupping it as satoru looked at you with his hooded eyelids. those magical six blue eyes are staring at you with known emotion, pain and agony.
"you didn't ask me why i suddenly wanted to get divorce…" he mumbles, nestling his head in your palm.
"you agreed without questioning me. i don't even see you cry about this. why y/n? are you hurting yourself by keeping your emotions inside you?" he continued. the pain in his voice breaks your heart into bits of pieces. satoru looked so vulnerable, his true emotions are showing exclusively for you.
you let out a small but bitter chuckle. "crying is not part of the things we usually do during our free time together, toru." his eyes widened at your answer. a droplet of tears slide down on your palm. satoru was crying, and you let him weep because you knew he's pent up.
"and i'm not mad at you. i also didn't ask you any questions because i know you know what you are doing and i respect your decision." you added.
"although, i admit. i want to bawl my eyes out. i want to scream because my heart is aching for believing that i was prepared for this moment." your breathings started to become shaky also just by watching satoru weep under your touch.
you refused to cry. at least not now.
"but i don't want to ruin this day by crying. i want both of us to savor this moment with smiles and laughter. so that when we part our ways, we wouldn't have any regrets to hold."
"so, satoru…let's continue to spend the rest of our night happily, hmm?" you let yourself smile for him to be motivated to stop from crying. however, he did the opposite. satoru cried even harder.
your hand is being cradled by him. you could feel his tears on your palm followed by his little hiccups. this scene alone in front of was usually enough to make you cry even harder than him. it was utterly heartbroken to see your man cry like this.
"hush, my…" love, that's the word you would like to say but forbids you to do so. satoru also noticed it too and he absolutely hates the feeling of it.
"l-love. call me love. c-call me like you used to call me before. first name basis is not part of the things we usually do during our free time together." he mimicked your words earlier. though it may sound like a joke, it isn't. satoru has been dead serious since the beginning of the day.
"my love…"
"y-yes, my sweetheart?" he responded.
your lips quiver from the overflowing emotions in your chest, but you still refuse to let yourself cry even when you're all by yourself. god, you are hopeless and devastated.
but dear me, it felt so good to hear him call you with endearing words. oh how you wish this kind of moment would last forever. maybe in another life, it would be. only if fate would be kind enough to give satoru to you again, maybe it will and it would be.
8:00 PM
satoru was all alone. his eyes were puffy from crying and stuff. he was such a mess. and if anyone would see, they would probably think that he's a zombie because of how low energy he was.
it took him almost an hour to stop crying. and you declared that this is the first and would be the last time that you would see him cry very hard.
right now, he was currently packing his things as he was about to move out tonight while playing betty by taylor swift. somehow, his mood got even more affected by this song, for every lyric hits him hard and he doesn't know why.
"♪ you heard the rumors from inez, you can't believe a word she says ♪" the radio sang. a shaky sigh came out from his mouth, he felt like crying again.
“♪ most times, but this time, it was true ♪”
"let me help you pack your things." you suddenly barge inside your onced shared bedroom after cleaning up for tonight. you are also in your sleep wear when satoru looks at you.
“♪ the worst thing that i ever did, was what i did to you ♪”
you didn't fail to notice that he is listening to one of your favorite artist's songs. a flashback hits you, it was the moment where you persuade him to listen to it with you. now, he has grown invested in their songs.
he mumbles a small okay as he watches you sit down beside him and redo the messy clothes he just stuffed inside his luggage. most of his clothes were luxurious like polo shirts, slacks pants, coats, and his favorite, blindfolds.
your eyes soften when you come across a small pouch that contains hair ties and bobby pins you onced bought for him as a prank. you still remembered the moment he let you tie his messy white locks with colorful pins and he looked so incredibly pretty with it. you couldn't help but to feel yourself getting emotional again.
don't cry. don't cry. don't cry.
meanwhile, satoru remained very quiet, for he was staring at the photo in his hand. it was your wedding photo where the both of you are wearing traditional japanese attire. he couldn't help but stare at your smiling face for too long. you looked so beautiful.
the wedding was very simple, but satoru describes it as one of his happiest days, and he is not lying to himself whenever he would say that. because he onced dreamed of getting married to you, and it came true. he also had the same state as you, both on the verge of crying.
"i wonder…would you get remarried someday?" he asked out of the sudden. you shifted your gaze to him and found him staring at your wedding photo. instantly, your eyes went soft.
"i am not sure." you replied silently as you closed his luggage and proceeded to the other one.
your hands momentarily stop working as you stare at them and watch it shake. "but if i do, it would probably take me a decade or so to find another husband to love." you said. but truth to be told, you had no motivation left to find another husband.
"you're twenty-two right now. so like…you'll be thirty plus by then when that happens," he calculated. "how about you? would you consider getting remarried also?" you asked him the same question.
he thinks for a moment before nodding slightly. "probably yes." your heart let out a wince but you tried your best to hide it. those words unintentionally hurt you and cut you deeper than a knife.
"w-well, i just wished good luck for both of us in the future." the crack in your voice didn't go unnoticed by satoru. he was about to reach you but then eventually dropped it. "me too…" was all he could say.
"anyway, do you mind if i ask…where are you staying after this?" you trailed off.
"i'll stay with higuruma for a day before moving out to my new apartment. speaking of that man, i told him to be here around midnight. so we still have four hours to be together." he answered
"...yeah."
10:00 PM
the two of you are sitting on the same seat just like this morning in the balcony. you are wearing your favorite cardigan as satoru was in his coat to fight the cold weather of the night.
all of his things were already packed and ready to leave. soon, you'll be alone and this house will not be lively as usual because his presence will be missed.
both of you refuse to say a word, yet. because you two are scared to have another breakdown that made this marriage even harder to break. especially satoru, he was aware that deep inside him he was not ready to let you go. he was just lying to himself because he is aware that he can heal if he gives himself some time.
"y/n, can i hold you here in my arms?" satoru swallowed all of the bitterness he felt for leaving you just to hold you again, for one last time. you slowly stood up from your and came towards in front of him.
your soon-to-be ex-husband gazes upon you. however, you refuse to meet those warm eyes that you loved the most. satoru slowly pulls you into his lap and cradles you like his greatest treasure, which you definitely is.
when your face hits his shoulder, you couldn't help but to hide your face deeper into his neck. "the place i'm going to stay afterwards is far from here. are you sure you will be okay?" he whispers in your ears.
"yeah, i'll be fine." you nodded solemnly. "i also planned to stop from my work for a while." you added.
"why?" satoru raises his eyebrow. he thought you loved your job as a barista. you enjoyed making coffee and wherever there's extra pastries left in the cafe, you would take it home for him to try it.
"don't worry, i had a lot of fortune that could last for a century. and besides, you even said i had a midas touch, so surviving won't be too hard for me." when your parents died, they left all of their fortune to you. so that makes you an instant millionaire and nobody knows that beside your husband.
satoru gently pushes you to meet his eyes. "i think this moment is perfect to give all of my secrets away. i don't need any perfect lies to hide from you anymore." he tucked the loose hair on the back of your ear, admiring your beautiful frame under the pale moonlight.
he gulped nervously, and for some reason, you're becoming very anxious about what he's going to tell. all you had to do was to wait for him to speak his thoughts out.
"the reason why i want to divorce is to have a new life and forget about the past. that includes you, y/n." though he only started, millions of knives already stabbed your poor heart. your eyes stared at him, a bit widely.
satoru couldn't bear to look at your pained expression, but he forced himself to look at you. so that you would feel his sincerity. "before suguru disappeared, he once told me to choose another path of life. he told me to run away from the jujutsu, run away from my life." he said, almost whispering.
"although, i want you to come with me. but…"
"i somehow got myself involved with the jujutsu too?" you continued it for him. satoru falls silent, so that means yes, it is true.
satoru cups your face. "i'm sorry, y/n. i really, really love you. but this is not the right path for us. you'll get more hurt if you continue to get tangled with me. so, after a lot of thinking and consideration…"
"i became selfish once again. i chose myself over you, y/n."
for the nth time, the walls you have been building around your emotional state are starting to shake once more. you could feel the hot tears building in your eyes.
you will not cry. you will not cry. you will not cry.
"i-i understand…although, you don't have to apologize for choosing what is the best for you. i'm actually glad that you're finally doing it." you plant your palms over his hands on your cheeks, closing your eyes to swallow up those annoying tears.
"i'm such a bad husband, aren't i?" satoru chuckles weakly. what has he done to deserve you like this? your understandment is something that he greatly admires in you. your heart is pure like an angel from above.
an angel like you can't fly down hell with him.
but god, you're making yourself willing to go down with him without any hesitation and that is just completely wrong.
and for the past years, satoru would make a mistake and you are there to correct him patiently. he would always tell himself to make something and make everything up for you. but who would have thought a divorce is the best thing to do?
"to be honest, not at all. remember what i told you before we got married? you are the fire and i'm the—"
"gasoline?"
"no silly, that's a song." your laugh brightens up the atmosphere. satoru smiled at your happy demure, he likes seeing you this joyful.
"you are the fire and i'm the fireman. a fireman would not function completely when there is no fire. meaning, why would i, a fireman, be here if there's no you, a fire." you raised your fingers to help you visualize your point.
"does that make sense to you?"
satoru shook his head. "no."
you snapped your finger. "exactly! you think i'm bad at explaining things, while i think of myself as great at explaining things. that's the same as you thinking you're a bad husband, while i think of you as a great husband."
"..."
"i made you speechless, meaning you agree and i'm great at philosophy!" you boosted yourself by imagining a crowd was giving you a round of applause.
your husband wonders for a moment before cackling a laugh. "that still didn't make sense to me but it brought a lot of comfort to me. thank you, y/n."
"come on! just admit you love my philosophical nonsense." you pouted, hitting his shoulder playfully.
satoru laughed once again, pulling you by waist as he buried his face in your hair. "of course i do. i love everything about you." and he would still do, always and forever.
"i'm going to miss this." you mumbled as you relaxed on his touch. satoru also agrees, kissing your head all over again.
"and i'm going to miss you too, a lot." he said sincerely. the two of you held the longest stare on this day. you just let yourselves drown with each other's enticing orbs.
satoru was the first one to break the record by sighing and rubbing his eyes. the truth is, he couldn't bear to look at you any longer because he could see how broken you looked through your eyes just because of him. instead, he hides his face once more on your neck.
“i'm really, really, really sorry, y/n. i'm so sorry for using you. i’m so sorry for cheating on you. i’m so sorry for hurting you. i'm so sorry for not choosing you again. i'm so sorry for being selfish. i'm so sorry for everything." there it is, again. his hot tears are back and now drenching your shoulder.
"i used you as a getaway from my sins and from the grief that day, y/n. you should've said no when i asked you to marry me, but why did you do the opposite?" his voice became slightly thicker, he's definitely frustrated.
"i did it for love, satoru." you answered without hesitation.
satoru momentarily stopped crying as his breath hitch. "yes, i'm already aware of your true intentions that day. but i still chose to marry you because i love you. i know it sounds so dumb but it's true." you continued.
you could feel his arms around your body tighten, scared of letting you go from nothing. it was like he was begging the gods, if there was one seeing the both of them right now, to let him be delusional and not take you away from him.
"let me ask you this time, do you regret marrying me?" you whispered.
your husband looked at you with unshed tears. "i don't. but i regret that this is the end of us."
why is it always the time where someone would tell their true feelings when everything is falling apart? so if this divorce wouldn't happen, does that mean his word would be forever kept inside him?
"i've always wanted to tell you that i was actually glad that you became my wife. i thought you would be my endgame. instead, you became the reason why i am still here and breathing."
the void of regret is slowly pulling him inside. but you are there to make sure that he would survive the gravitational pull. you just loved him so you will help to let you go.
"i love you, my sweetheart, my y/n, m-my wife..."
12:00 AM
it was quiet, really, really quiet. higuruma was looking at the two of you all over again. his eyes showed sympathy for both of you and he was sad because this is the end for you and satoru.
right now, both of you are staring blankly at the divorce paper on the table. no one was making a first move by signing it.
you let out a sigh, a heavy feeling was buried deep in your heart. your whole body feels so numb and you still haven't cried for today. everything feels so wrong, yet at the same time it feels right. you don't know what to do anymore.
as you recall your conversation with him, you just wished it didn't end and would continue forever. because you know you'll never get tired of hearing his voice, his laugh, and his philosophical nonsense too.
not to mention, you've also dreamed of building a family with him. a mini satoru and mini y/n sounds nice, doesn't it? as your eyes wandered across this apartment, you can depict your children with him running around. god, if you were dreaming, please don't wake up.
"higuruma, can you please just wait for me in the car…? i-i would like to have a final conversation with my wife." satoru suddenly spoke and nanami left without hesitation.
"so this is it?"
"yeah, t-this is the end." satoru chuckles breathlessly. there was like a big chuck on his throat that made him feel suffocating. truth to be told, he doesn't want this to be the end. but again, he has to.
"thank you for giving me a total of the best six years of my life, toru. i mean it, thank you." you counted the first four years of your relationship and the two years of your marriage. playing with your hands to mend the shakiness, it was a constant reminder that only a few minutes left before the surname satoru would be stripped of your name.
"thank you too, y/n. i also had so much fun and love these past six years. thank you for all of the things you have done for me." he said silently.
all this time, you are the only one looking at him because his eyes were focused on the paper in front of him. "good luck on your new path. i wish you the best." you intentionally called his attention.
"you're really staying here in this apartment…alone?" satoru asked you.
you let yourself smile slightly as you shifted into a more comfortable position. "yeah… just in case you feel homesick, this would be a reminder that you still have a home…only if you want to." the air in this room is very thick and it's suffocating you.
"t-thank you, y/n, really." he expressed his gratitude once again.
a nagging feeling tells you that satoru was about to go back on his decision at any minute. and you too would probably go back to your decisions you had set for both of you. it would be more devastating for you if satoru didn't achieve his plans for himself in the near future.
"let's not make higuruma wait."
satoru falls silent. now he was stuck in a madness of a dilemma. in short, he was starting to rethink his decision to the point that he didn't notice he was staining the divorce paper with tears. his hands began to shake violently along with his cries becoming louder any minute.
satoru finally lost his cool as he wailed loudly in front of you. the sound of his sobs made you clench your lip as your chest tightened once more.
you on the other hand, you're trying your best not to slip any tears down from your cheeks. you successfully stopped them from falling this morning, you couldn't afford to cry not because there's only a few minutes left before you would let yourself fall into a pit of sadness.
sensing that neither of you would make a move, you are aware that satoru couldn't bring himself to do it even though he had to. so, you gently steal the paper away from him.
divorce agreement…it read. oh how you despise those two words.
"satoru, i mentioned to you a while ago that the reason why i want to spend this last day as a married couple is because i want us to leave without holding any regrets." you started with your pen touching the paper. satoru's eyes widened, he wanted to stop you from doing it but nothing was coming out from his mouth.
"i can see it in your eyes, you're doubting your decisions." you continued as you wrote your name. in satoru's horror, only your signature is needed and everything would be over for him.
however, you stopped writing. you tapped the table to gather his attention to you. there he saw you smiling dearly at him.
"did you have fun spending time with me this whole day?" satoru knows your intention. you are encouraging him to do what he was supposed to do even if it means leaving you.
"yes…yes i do, i enjoyed being with you." he stuttered. the tears were still streaming down his face and he was using his sleeve to wipe it. you reached for the tissue and gave it to satoru as you watched him wiped his eyes and blow his nose.
"that's good to hear. i also had fun being with you. not only for this day, but the whole time i was with you, i enjoyed it." you grabbed his hands to soothe it by massaging those long and calloused fingers. satoru watches you and eventually becomes slightly calm by your actions.
you inched your lips into his fingers and kissed it delicately just like he used to do with you before. everything went blur to him and only the sound of your sweet nothing was audible into his messy world.
"i know you'll be doing great with or without me. so satoru, put more faith in yourself. this is another big step for us, and i want you to be ready just like i am." you swiftly slide the divorce paper in front of him. but this time, it has your signature on it.
satoru felt like he was being showered by the cold water as he stared at the paper with pure horror evident on his face. you finally did it, so there is no turning back now.
"h-how—when…! when did you sign it?" his voice cracked due to his frazzled emotions firing him repeatedly. satoru reaches the highest point of heartbreak he ever experienced in his life.
"when i gave you the tissue." you whispered weakly. to your dismay tears are only a slip away from your eyes a thousand times today.
"i don't want to sign it. i don't want to! i don't want to leave you anymore y/n!" he yelled. you accepted his lash out with open arms, but you can't do anything anymore. you finally signed the divorce settlement, and this paper wouldn't go if there's no signature of satoru.
you suddenly pull him into a passionate yet heartbroken kiss to shut him up. satoru eventually responds to your kiss, becoming more emotional than ever. while you are busy keeping him in company, you sneakily put the pen in his hand.
satoru felt an object in his palm, he knew you're telepathically telling him to sign the paper but he still refuses to acknowledge it, at least not yet. as he continues to devour your lips, his eyes are still producing salt tears that add more emotions in the atmosphere.
"i could see a bright future ahead of you, satoru." you muttered between the kisses.
"mhmp—you should grab it, please." you continued to deepen the kiss to lure him. but he voluntarily stepped away just to make a counter argument for that.
"but i could lose you if i do that." he whispers solemnly.
"we've already lost each other when we realized that everything was going too fast for both of us." you chuckled bitterly at your statement. "that it why it is time to face the consequences, by setting us free." you added.
"do…do you really want to do this?" he hiccups.
"this is what fate wants us to do." your voice is soothing as hell. it held no grudges nor resentment, just pure calm and adoration towards him.
but satoru still didn't bug and he still doesn't want to sign the papers.
your gaze never leaves him as satoru buries his face on his palm, weeping so quietly that you could almost hear a pin drop. it was getting so hard to watch so you looked away and slowly walked away.
"i am going out for a bit." you mumbled quietly, not waiting for him to reply or look as you walked away with your whole body shaking.
outside, there you saw higuruma leaning on his car exterior. "hey…" you greeted weakly. higuruma looked at you with a hint of sympathy in his eyes.
"hey…how did it go?" higuruma asked, his gaze falling on the papers in your hands.
"emotional." you joked.
"so, that's the end now?"
"...yep, that's the end now."
silence engulfed both of you, just your almost steady breathings and his observing orbs burning through your skin.
"never thought satoru could cry harder than he did when geto-san…you know." higuruma said, sighing as he tucks his hands on his pockets.
you nodded. "i know. satoru lost suguru literally, while he only lost me through relationship. he'd become more vulnerable around me, and that scares the hell out of me."
"i, his weakness, has become more exposed to his enemies. i know sooner or later, they would swoon to get me just to make him fall on his knees. we don't want that to happen, i don't want to be a bait nor a cause of his downfall. temporarily or permanently, satoru must not fall, no, not anymore." you continued.
"y/n-san, i hope you would also realize that failures, downfalls, mistakes, and damages are unavoidable, gojo-kun is no exception to all of that." higuruma argues.
"satoru is going to live a good life and have a future that he deserves, so who am i to halt it?” you ignored what he said because you know he was right.
“this is a big step for both of you. i just wished that everything would go well for the two of you.” higuruma smiled at you.
“we will, eventually.” you return the smile and then excuse yourself to go back inside, just to see satoru still crying nonstop.
approaching his figure, you wrapped your arms around his body to console the man. “don't go back to me now, satoru. if you cannot bring yourself to let go, then i will help you.” you whispered into his hair.
satoru pulled away just to look at you with his teary eyes. “i’m sorry, y/n. i’m really sorry.” he keeps on apologizing to you, while you just smile at him and wipe the tears in his eyes.
“it's alright, satoru. i already forgave you a long time ago.” you said.
“i can't sign it. i don't want to sign that anymore.” he confessed. a small form made its way to your temple” “but this is for both of us. don't you want to have a brand new start? how can we thrive when we both have shackles on our feet?”
“i-i thought everything was easy. i thought i could l-let you go that easily. but i was wrong. it's so hard to let go of us, y/n. and as much as i would like to do what i meant to do, it's just so hard to see us disappear from our now individual lives.” satoru buries his face on your stomach. your hands immediately made its way towards his hair as tears are threatening you once again.
“it's hard to let you go too, satoru. but it would be harder to see you suffer more when you're here with me.” it was getting late and satoru was still amidst the crisis, but you are determined to get him out of there.
“look at me, toru.” you cupped his cheeks and made him look at you. “you’ve still got a whole world to see. so don't you ever get worried about me because i’ll be more happy to see you free without any worries.
“go live a life that you weren't able to do when we were still kids. do what you always wanted to do.”
“and just so you know, i will always love you and you will always have a special place in my home.” you put his hand to your left chest where your heart lies. “here, satoru. you'll always be here.”
satoru pulled you into the tightest hug since it was literally the last and you wouldn't mind. reciprocating the hug, you finally smiled whole-heartedly and it even reached your eyes.
“whatever happens, i love you, y/n. i love you more than anything. i have loved you since the first time i saw you. and i will always love you even if this would be the last time i would see you.” throughout the six years that you two had been together, from boyfriend-girfriend relationship until to marriage—this was the very first time he declared his love to you with so much intensity.
your eyes nearly gave up on how long you've been trying to hold your tears. but you still swore that night that you'll never shed a tear unless satoru is out of the scene because you knew how much effect your crying causes him.
to hide your emotions, you pull him closer and share the last and passionate kiss as two persons who share the same surname are binded by the law. both of you could feel the emotions begin to overflow as things become more sensitive.
you were the first one to pull away as satoru was still crying. cradling his cheeks, you connected your foreheads together and said again, “let's not make higuruma wait any further.”
satoru knew it was time, time for him to finally sign the divorce paper that he's been planning for a month now.
he expected this one too just like you, so it shouldn't hurt, but why is his heart still aching? with a final stroke of his signature, satoru felt so empty. his soul feels like missing and something was taken away from him.
both have done it—a trial away and the marriage will no longer be valid. there would be no mr. and mrs. gojo now because both will live differently.
grabbing the paper with your shaky hands, you turn around at satoru and give him the final hug with a final kiss. “good luck on your new life, satoru. i’ll always cheer for you and support you until the end.”
“thank you so much, y/n. i really mean it.”
and with that, you and satoru shared the same sad smile you could utter at that moment. sure, this night will end bittersweet, but tomorrow is a brand new start.
you watched satoru walk solemnly towards the car. he looked like a ghost wandering around the vicinity without any will to search for the true paradise for him to rest. it really broke your heart that this is the end for both of you.
and with now fully signatured divorce paper on his hands, satoru felt that each step he took, he felt like fainting on the spot because of how devastating he felt.
but you cannot undo everything now. satoru had officially become your sweet memory and a stranger on the street at the same time. just as he was about to go inside the car, you called out for his name one last time.
your ex-husband looked at you with tired, red, and puffy eyes. you let yourself give the bestest smile you could offer at this moment. a smile entitled one last smile before saying a goodbye.
"if we found each other in another world, let me be your wife again!"
satoru's eyes glisten with tears once more. nevertheless, he also offers you the bestest smile he could manage. he is now letting his broken heart go out of your grasp. forcing himself to swallow and accept that in this lifetime, you are no longer his.
but if the two of you would be reborn or somewhere in the multiverse, he would pray that the two of you got the life you onced failed to build, and that was something he would wish for forever.
"of course! and i will choose you this time. we would make a family that we once dreamt of, and i will give you the honor to name our children." satoru yelled back, making your smile widen.
you could finally rest knowing that there would be a lifetime waiting for both of you somewhere in the future. and this time, you are not being delusional because you know it'll be going to happen and you'll make it happen.
"emi!"
"what?" satoru halted his steps to focus his attention on you.
"i want our first born daughter to be named emi." you've actually dreamed of having a child with him, in that dream, her name is emi. it was like a sign to you, so when you woke up, you immediately searched its meaning and found out that emi means blessed.
you are blessed.
both of you definitely feel blessed to have each other.
that being said, you have kept that name for a while now. sooner, you wished that name would be used with satoru's surname entangled to it.
because in this life, it was unfortunate not to use the name emi. you only want to use that name with him and only him. for you lived with him, loved him, and dreamed with him.
but patience is a virtue. you are willing to wait for that dream, for him. time is not a problem to you because you'd be fully patient just for him.
"have a safe journey, gojo satoru. i will be waiting for you in our next lives." you gently bow your head to send your wish for his safety.
with that, satoru enters the car without looking at you anymore. he was afraid that if he looked at you, he might find himself running back into your loving arms again.
"we'll be going now, y/n." higuruma rolled the window and waved a farewell to you.
you just nod at him while you watch the car slowly disappear from your eyesight. sad but true, you will be waking up all alone from now on 'till your thirties.
no more satoru to wake you up with cuddles. no more satoru who would make corny jokes randomly. no more satoru to who would always remind you that you have a husband. just no more satoru gojo—
drip…
a tear, followed by another, and another until it just flows uncontrollably. you are finally a crying-mess. you're letting yourself cry and let your emotions out by a shout of pain escaping out from your lips.
it was all over.
satoru chooses his life over you, and you choose satoru over your life. with your knees planted on the pavement, your hand travels towards your mouth to cover your loud painful sobs.
all of the tears that you had been keeping since this morning, finally had their freedom to flow at your cheeks along with anguish scream that came out of your broken heart.
you finally lost this time.
[a special chapter will be posted soon, so stay tuned and just comment if you want to be added on the taglist for this one — ©luvvixu2024]
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cupidlovesastro · 3 days
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𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍����𝒈𝒚
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[long post ahead]
🩶paid readings🩶
“𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒅𝒐 𝒊 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒕?”
🔗closure is usually wanting the answer to something or ending of something, so you won’t be left unsure, confused, scared, etc.
🔗we often want closure after something traumatic or sad has happened. this can be things like a break up, ab*se, violence, etc. you may frequently wonder things like “why did it happen” and feelings of confusion, conflict, pain, sadness, and anger can reoccur when the topic is mentioned or thought of.
“𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆?”
🔗although people often use astrology for love, aesthetics, and getting to know their self better, it can also help you navigate through trauma !
🔗there are asteroids, charts, placements, and houses that can help you understand how to heal
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𝒏𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆/𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒖𝒎𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒊𝒅𝒔
lilith(1181)- where we are rejected, an outcast, and rebel
chiron(2060)- chiron can be used to show your trauma and how you are damaged, but also how you can heal others and be healed
nessus(7066)-trauma, abuse, negative transformations in relationships or it’s dynamic, revenge, manipulation, power, guilt
bambi(15845)- something you can devastatingly lose, being prayed on, victimization, being over powered, innocence, naivety
hazard(9305)- causing harm or how you could be harmed, dangerous themes in people or your life
prey(6157)- where you could be prayed on, or feel that you will, where you could be easily attacked
hylonome(10370)- self sacrificing, deep grief, equal partnerships, love, s*icide
paine(5188)- what pain you will suffer with in life, things you could be a victim of
ophelia(171)- rejection from love, love disappointment, doubt or hopelessness in relationships, insanity, abandonment
karma(3811)- how people might’ve betrayed/ hurt you, and how it will come back to bite them
orcus(90482)- broken promises, destruction, punishment, notoriety, intensity, extreme behavior
chaos(19521)- our evil temptations/ tendencies, our demons, the part of us that could lead to our ultimate ruin
dejanira(157)- naivety, your insecurities, being a victim, possessiveness, having trust issues, fear
myrrha(381)- sexual ab*se, inappropriate sexual relationships, inc*st
pratoclus(617)- rage, lashing out on others, your pain, vengeance, anger
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𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆/𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒊𝒅𝒔
chiron(2060)-chiron can be used to show your trauma and how you are damaged, but also how you can heal others and be healed
pallas(2)- strength, courage, intelligence, wisdom, victory
vesta(4)- goals, aspirations, devotion, what keeps you going, things that are most important to you
chariklo(10199)- miracle, destiny, compassion, spiritual awakening, astral travel, self care, self respect
metis(9)- wisdom, practicality, issuing your intelligence to master skills, strategy, problem solving
haumea(136108)- connection to the world around you, trust in the universe
spirit(37452)- your spirit/ spirituality, spirit guides, your psychic abilities
icarus(1566)- mistakes, attempts at improvement and growth, falling and getting back up, risk taking, hope, liberation, taking good things too far
serendipity(6568)- miracles, pleasant surprises, unexpected blessing
zeus(5731)- leadership, your goals, your authority, achievements
bless(92891)- blessings that could happen to you, ways that you are blessed
induna(176)- fresh starts, high expectations, youthfulness, rejuvenation, fertility, beauty, how you give people their youthful side
tortali(2687)- something coming to light, being outed, being open/ honest about something
champion(8732)- being a champion, winning, what ways you could win
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“𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈?”
🔗12th house can directly correlate to healing and closure
🔗6th house doesn’t really relate to closure, but it does relate to health
🔗jupiter can show where you’re growing
🔗saturn can show where you need be discipline and struggles you may occur
🔗pluto can show karmic energies you need to worth through
🔗north node can show where you future is and what path to go on
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𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒕
“𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕?”
this chart can show you where your healing is going and what kind of healing journey you will have this year
𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒔:
(i’m using chiron because it’s usually one of the asteroids that websites show by default)
chiron in 3rd house can mean you will speak about your traumas more, venting, ranting, and journaling can help you heal
aries chiron can mean that you may be healing faster this year or you can feel more ambitious about healing
chiron aspecting venus can mean love (doesn’t have to be romantic) can heal you
capricorn or aquarius chiron can mean you may feel distant from your healing journey or like your far away from being healed
chiron in 11th house can mean your friends can be helping with your healing process or a community
chiron aspecting pluto can mean you will be working through karmic energy to continue your healing journey
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𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒔
𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒉 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒊
𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒇𝒕 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒕
nessus(7066) in 9th house- trauma related towards religion, philosophy, learning, and ethics. in the cult that she was in, she has said how they were constantly making you learn about the way of the community, and she had to spend millions on books. her cult has also tried to paint themselves as a religion, rather than a cult
orcus(90482) in 10th house- for a long time she could’ve had a negative public image, especially when her cult was mentioned and people were aware of what went on inside of it. her career has also been affected by the cult, although she has now left
chiron(2060) in 7th house- she has stated how she fears to get close to others or work with others in suspicion that they are apart of her ex cult. despite that, she also has a tv show where she shared (7th house=sharing) others stories and helped exposed what happened.
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𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒘 𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒚𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆
𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒂 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒓𝒖𝒈 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒎 𝒂𝒕 𝒂 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒈𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒅𝒖𝒍𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝒂 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍. 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒖𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒖𝒎𝒂
paine(5188) in 2nd house cancer- this shows that she suffered a lot in her jobs and even her work ethic since her addiction got in the way of her acting career. her mother (mothers/motherly figures correlate with cancers) also got in the way of what she was genuinely passionate about because her mother wanted to make money off of her
prey(6157) in 7th house- drew could’ve been her most vulnerable self to people she was close with, meaning that was where she was victimized. people she was close with could’ve put her in bad situations or attacked her in some form. she stated that her mom pretty much allowed her to be around grown ups at a young age, and exposed her to clubs, drugs, alcohol, etc
bless(92891) in 6th house scorpio - drew now has a tv show that brings celebrities on and talks about her traumas and sometimes the celebrities traumas as well. she also says how she feels a “magnetic pull” to get close to people on her show. (scorpio usually correlates with magnetism)
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𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔
𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒑𝒐𝒑 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒊𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝟗𝟎𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟎𝒔. 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒈𝒈𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒚
nessus(7066) and bambi(15845) in 10th house- these placements show that she unfortunately has been victimized by her father, and also stopped touring so her dad wouldn’t make more money off of her which affected her career and fame. she was also pushed very hard (to the point of exhaustion) when she was touring and actively making music.
rhiannon(16912) in 1st house- this can show that britney has wanted to escape her life or her public image. (rhiannon=abductions) this can show that it’s quite public that she is in a situation where she is not allowed freedom
induna(176) in 1st house- this shows that she could eventually be in her “redemption” era and it will be quite public. people will see that she is is starting new, and it can remind many people of when she was younger, or even when they were younger and seeing britney on tv, live, or hearing her music !
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mxmmyprentiss · 2 days
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how did it end?
Summary: You were supposed to be happy seeing Emily, your girlfriend, back from the dead but instead you were consumed with rage that they made you live like she's dead for months. Now, you don't know how to navigate your grief, anger, confusion and betrayal. Genre: (Heavy) angst Pairing: Emily Prentiss x female reader Warnings: just lots of anger and depression Word count: 7K+
A/N:
I'm back with another (heavy) angst. Happy pride month, everyone! (Or in this case, happy wrath?)
All grammar and spelling mistakes are mine as I didn't have the energy to proofread. Enjoy the pain!
All likes, reblogs, and comments are appreciated!
Special shoutout and thanks to my friend @alexblakeisgay ! Thanks for believing I could write again. :)
AO3
The day after Ian Doyle was finally arrested, Hotch called for a team meeting.
“What’s this about?” You asked curiously, despite being annoyed that your visit to Emily’s grave was cut short.
Morgan only shrugged at you, no idea why any of you had been called.
“Seven months ago, I made a decision that affected this team.” Hotch began. “As you all know, Emily had lost a lot of blood after her fight with Doyle. But the doctors were able to stabilize her. And she was airlifted from Boston to Bethesda under a covert exfiltration. Her identity was strictly need-to-know. And she stayed there until she’s well enough to travel. She was reassigned to Paris where she was given several identities, none of which we had access to for her security.”
Everyone was shocked by Hotch’s confession. Most especially you. You stood behind Morgan, unmoving. Your feet seemed to be glued to the tiles.
“She’s alive?” Garcia clarified with tears in her eyes.
Reid leaned forward in his chair. “But we buried her.” He mumbled, confusion and betrayal mixed in his expression.
“As I said, I take full responsibility for the decision. If anyone has any issues, they should be directed toward me.” Hotch said, arms folded. His eyes met yours but your brain couldn’t comprehend everything fast enough to react.
“Any issues? Yeah, I got issues!” Morgan furiously said.
Everyone’s attention directed to the sound of footsteps approaching. You turned your head and you understood why everyone, except Hotch and JJ, looked like they had just seen a ghost.
Your legs felt weak and your heart unsteady. You couldn’t wrap your mind around what’s in front of you.
Emily took a careful step towards you. You took a step back.
“Y/N, I -”
“No,” You shook your head both in disbelief and in anger. “No!” You turned your head to Hotch and JJ. “How could you do this? How could you do this to me! I trusted you, you son of a bitch!” Before you stopped to compose yourself and take a breath, your palm met Hotch’s face. Morgan and Penelope held you back.
“It’s okay. Don’t hold her back.” Hotch told the two agents. “I’m sorry, Y/N. I deserved that.”
You wanted to say he deserved more because you had more slaps and punches to give. But Emily held your arm in an attempt to stop you. You flinched at her touch.
“Don’t touch me!” You yelled at her. “S-stay away from me!”
“Alright, alright. I’ll stay away.” Emily was taken aback by the crack in your voice but she listened to you and backed away. Her heart sank to her stomach. She had never seen you this angry before. 
“You stay away from me! I finally made peace with your death a week ago and I…” Your chest started to hurt, feeling like everything in the room was getting smaller and smaller and spinning. You ran towards the door and past the bullpen. You repeatedly pressed the elevator button but it couldn’t open fast enough.
Morgan ran after you. “Hey, hey. Where are you going?”
“I don’t know.” You answered in confusion, still pressing the button. “I need to get some air.”
“Let me drive you home.”
The elevator finally opened and Morgan entered with you. All the pain, rage, confusion and betrayal finally caught up with your brain and as soon as it did, the tears kept coming. Morgan held you in his arms as you cried your heart out.
You did not leave the house for five days. You did not call anyone, especially people you worked with. Your phone remained off; you didn’t even bother to charge it. Instead, you found comfort in the darkness of your own apartment.
You didn’t know what day or time it was when you heard a knock on your door. It won’t be the first guest that you ignored. Each of the team had tried to check on you these past days but you remained under the blanket, watching whatever was on the TV.
“Y/N, please, it’s me.”
As soon as you heard Emily’s voice, the boiling rage inside you got the best of your words again. “You’re not welcome here! You’re dead!” You screamed and tossed a mug against the door.
Outside, Emily took a deep breath. “You’re not ready to let me in. I get it. But please, I want you to listen and hear me out. Just give me a chance to say some things then I’ll leave.”
Whether in annoyance or actually wanting to hear Emily out, it wasn’t important now. Emily felt relieved when the door clicked and you opened the door. You sat back on the couch and Emily stood a bit far from you, knowing you weren’t comfortable with your space being invaded.
Emily took a minute to stare at your state. The entire apartment was in a chaotic mess. In just a few days, you lost a little weight. Your eyes that used to be full of color and life turned sad, blue and lifeless. Emily couldn’t stop the guilt creeping inside her. This was her fault. She did this to you.
“I have no idea what you’ve been through during all this time that I was gone … but I know I hurt you. I swear if I had the choice, I wouldn’t have made this one. I never wanted to hurt you. I never wanted to hurt the person I love the most.” Emily was choking on her tears as she spoke.
You finally looked at her with pure disdain and Emily had to swallow, scared of the daggers that would come out of your mouth. “Hurt? You think you hurt me?” You huffed an exasperated laugh. “I’ve been hurt way too many times. I dealt with all that. You - “ You pointed your finger towards Emily. “You have to invent another word for what you caused me.”
Emily nodded because it was a fair statement, albeit painful. She sighed. “I understand.” There was a long pause before Emily spoke again, her voice was breaking as she did. “You … you are and always will be the love of my life. I would have never willingly put you through this. You have to believe me.”
Your breath hitched. You avoided Emily’s gaze. “I would have understood, you know.” You whispered.
Emily nodded, feeling a lump in her throat. She knew you were right. You would have understood. You would have prioritized Emily’s safety still. If only she had the choice then, she would have fought for it, fought for you. The whole time she was in Paris, she contemplated jeopardizing everything just to call you, to hear your voice one more time.
“I’m so sorry. You are the most important person in my life and I love you.”
“You don’t do this to a person you claim to love.”
Emily felt like she was being stabbed over and over. Your words were twisting the knife in her heart. “You’re right. I cannot fix the months of pain I caused you but please … please let me try. You mean the world to me. You were the only thing that kept me going while I was away. I cannot lose you. I cannot live without you, Y/N.” Emily went down on her knees as the tears streamed down her cheeks. 
“You did.” You replied coldly. “And the day you died,  I died with you.”
Emily moved closer to you, slowly. She gently hugged you, burying her face into your shoulder, sobbing. She heard all the pain and grief in your voice; all the pain you went through because of her death.
“I don’t know what you can do to fix this,” you said weakly.
Emily pulled away and cupped your cheeks, asking you to meet her in the eye but your stare was empty, almost as if you were looking past her skull. “I love you. I know words cannot fix this but I love you. We can figure this out together. Please…”
“I waited for months, refusing to believe that that funeral was ever real and that you would come back. I waited…”
Emily’s heart sank as she heard that. You didn’t believe the funeral. You didn’t think it was real. You waited. Months and months, you waited, thinking she was going to come back and that she was still alive. The realization hit Emily like a rock.
“I’m so sorry,” was all Emily could say.
“I know you are and I know it’s not your fault.” You replied in monotone. “But I have every fucking right to feel what I feel.”
Emily nodded, wiping her own tears. She tried to hug you again but this time you stopped her and Emily looked absolutely defeated.
“You can take your things. I already packed them a week ago. It’s in the bedroom.”
“Okay, okay…” Emily stood up. She collected the things she left in your apartment. It wasn’t a lot, mostly clothes and photos. Emily opened a small box and felt her heart shatter when she saw the golden necklace she gave you on your first date. This was yours. She sneaked it back into your dresser and left your room.
“Do you have a place to stay?” 
The question took Emily by surprise. “I’m going back to my apartment, I guess. I was staying with JJ for a bit.”
“Don’t die on your way out. Or do. I don’t know what other tricks the Feds have up their sleeves.” As soon as you said that, it left a bitter taste in your mouth.
And that was another dagger to Emily’s heart.
“I’m so sorry. I know it doesn’t matter … but I love you. I always will.” Emily said before leaving.
Days passed since Emily came over, you still hadn’t left your house. You grew comfortable in the darkness and quietness of your apartment. You only ate when you couldn't stop the growling of your stomach, sometimes not even then.
Reid knocked on your door. He was worried about you. You didn’t answer any of your friends’ calls or messages. He won’t pretend to know how you felt but he, too, was hurt by the betrayal from Hotch and JJ. Reid wanted to at least make sure you were eating and that’s how he found himself knocking on your door with a takeout from your favorite diner.
He was relieved when you opened the door but the smile immediately fell when he saw what you looked like. Reid couldn’t believe his eyes. He stopped himself from asking if you were okay because he already knew the answer.
“What do you want?”
Reid stepped inside the house. “I wanted to come and check up on you. I bought food from that diner we went to last week. You said it was your new favorite.”
Your expression softened, appreciating the thought. Reid didn’t deserve your rage and rudeness. “Thank you, Reid.”
Reid nodded and softly placed the containers on the counter. He watched you for a second, frowning as he saw how red your eyes were and how dark the circles around your eyes had gotten. You had become thinner, too. Smaller.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” He asked softly. This wasn’t an agent or a colleague trying to get you to speak up. This was a friend worried about another friend.
“I’m just waiting to decompose at this point.” You joked darkly.
That hit Reid a little too hard. He frowned, looking absolutely distraught as he heard that. Reid shook his head and sat on the couch next to you, looking at you with pained eyes. “You can’t be thinking like that. We all care about you. We’re your friends and we cannot just sit back and watch you fall apart like this.”
“You knew what I went through, Spencer. You were there - in every hospital visit, in every AA meeting. You have waited outside my therapist’s office every Friday making sure I’ll be there.”
“I know, I know …” Reid couldn’t finish his sentence, biting his lip. He looked down before looking back at you, trying to find the right words to say.
“I’m taking a few more weeks off.”
Reid nodded, saddened by your decision. “Of course. I - I’ll tell Hotch.” He frowned, knowing he and Hotch weren’t on good terms yet too. But it didn’t matter now. “Do you want to be alone? Or would you like not to be alone at the moment? I can stay if you want or I could leave …”
“I just want to be alone, Spencer. I’m not at my best right now and I don’t want to hurt anyone, especially not a friend.”
Reid nodded, respecting your decision. He didn’t push. He slowly stood, picking up his keys. He squeezed your shoulder. “Y/N?”
“Hmm?”
“Please … call if you change your mind, okay?”
“I will.”
Everyone gave you space after Reid’s visit. No knocks on the door. No phone calls. No messages.
But after a month, everyone started to worry. Reid and Morgan knocked on your door but you weren’t answering. They could hear the noise coming from the TV though. Morgan called your name while pounding on the door.
“Just kick it!” Reid ordered him and Morgan did.
Morgan was frozen, looking at you with eyes widened. “Jesus…”
Reid entered too, looking worried and heartbroken when he saw you. He looked around, seeing the apartment in disarray, food still uneaten on the counter, dishes piled up in the sink.
Morgan checked for your pulse. It’s weak but it’s there. He carried your body to their car and Reid drove to the hospital.
When you woke up the next day, you groaned the first second the light hit your eyes. You had been used to seeing only darkness for weeks.
Emily quickly sprinted to your side. “Hey, hey, are you hurting?”
“The light,” you complained. “Turn it off.”
Emily turned off the main light and switched on the dim light just above the sofa.
Reid stirred awake at the intrusion of light. He looked around and saw you awake. He excitedly got up from the sofa and sat on the chair next to your bed. “Hey.” He gave you a sad, pitiful look. He gently placed his hand on yours, careful not to displace your IV.
“S-sorry,” you mumbled to Reid.
“You have nothing to apologize for. You’ll be okay and we’re all here for you.” Reid glanced at Emily and she nodded. “You don’t have to go through this alone. Everyone will come by later after work.”
“Thanks, Spencer.” You said weakly then turned to Emily who was waiting for you to acknowledge her presence. “I’m leaving the BAU.”
Both of them were shocked by your words. Emily felt her heart drop to her stomach. Reid was staring at you in disbelief.
“Wh - what? Why?” Emily bit her lip, shaking her head, looking confused and broken.
“I don’t want that job anymore.” You simply said.
“Please do not make your decision while you’re in this state of mind. Y - you might be in shock -”
“No.”
Reid didn’t say anything. He remained seated, processing the words you said, that another friend might leave him.
“I - I don’t know how to make the pain stop.” Your eyes start to fill with tears, your vision becoming blurry. “I don’t want to hate you anymore. Or Hotch. Or JJ. But I can’t stop.”
Emily took in a sharp breath at your words, heart shattering as she now started to cry too. “I … I know we hurt you so, so much. I know I am the reason for all of this and I wish I knew how to make the pain go away. You don’t have to forgive me for it. I - I’ll leave the BAU instead. Please … just don’t leave.” Emily bargained.
“I wasn’t happy there anymore. I don’t know if I could be happy being there again.”
Reid squeezed your arm. “We understand you’re hurting but please … think about it. Don’t make any big decisions while you’re like this. Okay?”
You nodded even though you’ve already thought about it. In fact, that was what you thought in all the weeks you spent alone.
“I’m sorry I scared you, Spencer.”
Reid shook his head, trying to convince you he was fine. “No, no … it’s okay. We’re always going to care about you. You don’t have to apologize, okay?”
“You’re like a little brother to me. Always have and always will. No matter where I go.”
Reid bit his lip, trying his best to keep the tears back and failing. “I’m always here for you. No matter what. If you need anything,” He choked a sob. “P-please reach out. Please call.”
You ruffled his hair and Reid managed a smile. “You were always good to me. To everyone.”
“I just want you to be okay.”
“I’ll be fine.”
He didn’t believe you, judging from the way he looked at you. “Just … talk to someone, okay? Anyone. Me, Garcia, Morgan … anyone.”
You nodded, holding his hand reassuringly. “I will. Now, stop worrying about me and get me some jello, will you?” Reid choked on a laugh but your wish was his command. He got out of the room, leaving you and Emily alone.
“I …” Emily’s voice cracked. She was feeling all the guilt crashing her like a wave.
“I want to move on from this. I want … I want to look at you again and not be hurt.”
Emily’s eyes filled with tears as she stared at you. She bit her lip in an attempt to stop her lips from quivering. “I … hurt you so much…didn’t I?” Emily swallowed thickly as she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper as she took a deep, shaky breath.
“I was supposed to be happy seeing you alive. For months, I hoped and hoped for you to be alive.”
“But you weren’t … you were hurt and angry and - and that was okay. You have every right to be.”
“But I want to move on from this.”
“I… I want you to as well. You don’t deserve any of this. You don’t deserve to be in pain because of me.”
“I want to be happy again.” Hearing those words gave Emily a little hope but it was short-lived when you added, “I’m going to quit the BAU. I’ll go back to teaching. I’ll go back to therapy. I will do what I have to do to stop this from eating me alive.”
Emily wanted to reach for your hand, to comfort you, to plead you not to quit the BAU, but she didn’t. That would just make things worse. Instead, she nodded at your words, still fighting the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks as she watched you.
“I want to be the person that I was before I met you.”
Emily had a feeling you were going to say something like that. She took a deep, shaky breath, trying to calm her nerves. “Okay… okay…”
“And as for us … I don’t know.”
Emily’s whole world had shattered just like that. She couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks now but she remained waiting for what you have to say.
“We’ve caused each other so much pain now to be happy together, don’t you think?”
Emily shook her head wordlessly, not believing your words but also not wanting to disagree with you. She blinked rapidly, trying to stop the waterworks in her eyes.
“You need to heal. I do too.” You finally made a move and squeezed Emily’s hand. “You understand, right?”
Emily swallowed thickly, nodding a couple of times before she spoke. “Y-yeah … I understand.”
“I want to be okay again with seeing you.”
“I want that too.”
“Because right now, when I look at you, I don’t see the woman I loved for so many years.”
“I … I understand …”
“You have to know that a lot of things happened to me in the months you were … dead … and I can’t just come back to the same old.”
Emily knew that. There was no coming back to how you two were, to the “normal” days before her fake death. Nothing was the same except for the way she felt about you.
You let out your hand for a handshake and Emily took it, squeezing softly. “Thank you, Emily.”
She couldn’t say a word but left a soft, wet kiss on your hand.
Two days after you got out of the hospital, you passed your resignation to Hotch. He accepted it wholeheartedly. He didn’t try to stop you. But he did apologize again for the decision he made. He didn’t take your relationship with Emily into consideration and watched you suffer through the whole thing. You told him that it will take time to forgive him just yet but you were grateful for everything that this job taught you.
When you exited his office, Garcia quickly dragged you to the meeting room and put a party hat on your head. You were met with a shout of “surprise!” from everyone on the team. Emily was there as well, standing in the sidelines, sipping a drink and eating finger foods as you said your goodbyes. It was hard for her to see you now that you’re not going to be a part of the team anymore. The guilt was slowly eating her inside.
Garcia asked for a speech and you delivered. “I … I had the best and worst times here. For years, you guys have been my family, my friends, my rock. You still are. I want to thank you all. I promise to keep in touch. I’m only a phone call away.”
The team all spoke up in turn, wishing you luck, thanking you for being an amazing member of the team and how they will all miss you. Emily was the last one left. She slowly stepped closer to you, standing in front of you with a shaky breath.
“I … I wish you nothing but the best. I hope you’re going to be okay. I really … I really do.”
Your lips curved into a tight smile. 
Garcia called for a toast. To you. Colleague. Friend. Family.
Emily had seen the teaching job offer at the university you and Reid were teaching. She didn’t hesitate to apply, seeing how it helped you and Reid move forward and she hoped it would do the same for her. And it wasn't that far from Quantico, just a 15-minute drive.
Emily saw you came to class and saw you setting up and getting ready to teach the class. She sat quietly at the back, waiting for the lessons to start, and taking deep breaths to calm her nerves. It had been one year, five months, two weeks, and three days since Emily last saw you. Not that she was counting. (She definitely was.)
But if she was going to teach in this university too, she had to get used to seeing you again and being in the same room with you and not being able to talk to you.
Emily watched as you taught the lesson, taking notes as you spoke, completely focused on you. She slowly breathed in and out, trying to calm her heart rate as she listened to your voice. She was impressed by you, not seeing this side of you before. Emily couldn’t help but admire you from afar.
When the class ended, Emily slowly descended the steps of the classroom, nerves on edge as she approached you, her heart pounding in her chest. She couldn’t help being nervous around you, knowing that she couldn’t get close to you. Not anymore.
Emily took a deep, shaky breath before she spoke. Her words were quiet, a contrast to how she used to be with you. “You … you taught really well…”
You looked up, meeting a set of familiar big brown eyes. Emily’s breath was taken away when she saw your smile. “Thank you, Agent Prentiss.” you said politely. “Are you enrolled in my class?”
Emily’s cheeks flushed red at the question, clearing her throat. “I, uh, I just saw you were teaching and decided to sit in. That’s … allowed, right?” She gave a small smile, looking shy and awkward, not knowing what else was there to say.
You let out a small laugh. “I was just messing with you.”
“Oh,” Emily laughed awkwardly. She took out a piece of paper from her bag, wanting to prolong the conversation. “I actually have a question with number five,” She pointed at the question she needed help with. It was an excuse but she hoped you wouldn’t catch it. She talked about her question, or rather the excuse to be in your presence. 
You tried your best to explain to her the answer to the question. Emily couldn’t help but stare and be mesmerized by you. She had missed you looking at you, into your eyes, seeing the way your mouth forms the words. You always enunciated your words well and Emily found it so endearing, so utterly perfect. It took everything in her not to reach out and touch you, to hold your hand and tell you how much she still loved you, how much she had missed you.
But she couldn’t and this felt like pure torture for her.
“How was the BAU?” Emily was surprised by your question. She thought you completely forgot that life behind, knowing you didn’t try to visit at all after you had resigned.
“It’s okay. We miss you around there.” She lied. Not the missing you part. The okay part. It wasn’t okay. It wasn’t the same since you left. It felt like a part of it was missing. The thought of you plagued her mind every single day that she spent in the BAU.
“I miss being out in the field as well.”
A small, sad smile graced Emily’s lips when you said that. She missed all the times you were working together, solving cases, theorizing about UnSubs, and spending time together. And she had ruined that. All because her past caught up to her.
“I …” Emily swallowed thickly, biting into her lip as her eyes suddenly watered. “I miss you …”
You stared at Emily, surprised by her confession. You didn’t know what to say.
Good thing that a knock on the door distracted you.
The moment you were distracted, the moment another person came in, Emily wiped her tears away, trying to pretend that nothing was wrong. The moment you started talking to the other person, giggling at the conversation, Emily’s heart ached a little, knowing you had moved on. But she had to get used to it. She made her bed and now she had to lie in it. She quickly put her things back in her handbag, about to leave the classroom when she heard you call her name.
“Emily.”
Emily stopped. “Yeah?”
“I want to introduce you to my friend, Alex Blake. Former FBI agent as well. Alex, this is SSA Emily Prentiss.”
Emily shook Alex’s hand, giving a polite smile. “Nice to meet you, Blake.” She said, her tone soft, the same smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes that she gave everyone else but you.
Emily tried to seem happy as you conversed with Alex, forcing her lips into a small, polite smile. She felt her heart shatter a bit more upon seeing you converse so normally with another person that isn’t her. But she had to deal with it.
When you bid goodbye to Alex, you turned to Emily. “Do you have somewhere else to be?”
Emily shook her head. “No, I don’t. Why?”
“We should go out sometime … with Alex. Exchange FBI stories if you want?”
Emily’s heart nearly stopped beating as you said that. She tried not to feel too excited and hopeful. A million thoughts raced through her head, and they all boiled down to one simple question: Was this a sign of a new chapter in your broken relationship?
“Y-yeah, that sounds good.”
“I’ll invite Spencer too. He adores Alex.” You added excitedly.
Emily smiled again, a little bigger and more genuine this time, feeling a bit more relaxed when you say that.
You picked up your bag and your laptop, ready to leave. “See you next time?”
Emily nodded, feeling a bit sad at the thought of you leaving. But she knew she couldn’t keep you forever. “Of course. I’ll see you next time.”
After almost two years, you decided to finally take that long-awaited visit to the BAU. Everything was going well with your therapy and your new job. This part was the only thing in your life that was left untouched and unresolved. It was time to make amends with that.
When the elevator opened, you were greeted by your former colleagues. Many of them missed having you around since you left, especially Garcia. Everyone gathered around and took a piece of the donuts you brought. Reid introduced Lewis and Alvez to you. They were fairly new members of the team since Hotch was promoted Section Chief and Morgan resigned to be a full time dad. You also learned that Emily was promoted a month ago as unit chief of the BAU.
Emily was in her office when you dropped by, working some paperwork and trying to avoid unnecessary social interaction. She moved her blinds to take a peek at the commotion she heard and was surprised to see you surrounded by your friends. 
When you glanced at the office and saw Emily peeking from her window, you excused yourself from the group and snatched away a box of donuts. You knocked on her door. “Now that you run this unit, you don’t leave the office anymore?”
Emily’s head looked up to you and away from the paperwork on her desk. Her breath hitched a little in her throat as she heard your voice. “Come in.”
“I offer you donuts.” You said with a smile, putting the box down on her table.
“You really didn’t have to.”
“I got it for everybody and that includes you.”
Emily smiled at you. It was hard for her not to just stand up and hug you from the moment you came into her office. Every instinct in her body was screaming for her to do it but she stayed in her seat, biting on her lip.
“I’m sure they’ll love it, especially Spencer. He has a sweet tooth.”
“He does.”
Emily fell silent for a moment, her eyes lowering as she thought of what to say next. “I…” She paused for a second, taking another deep breath. “I missed you …”
You smiled widely, as if teasing her. “You missed me? Don’t you see me every week in my class already?”
She laughed softly, shaking her head at your teasing. “You know what I mean.”
You swallowed nervously, staring at Emily. Her eyes softened as she held your gaze. “You don’t know … how much I miss you.”
You were about to say something when Reid knocked and entered the office. He was excited to tell you about the puppy he adopted through Alvez.
Emily tried to push down the disappointment but her eyes turned cold for a moment as she saw how excited you were over the dog. Her heart ached with jealousy and frustration, and she had to bury herself back on the paperwork so that she wouldn’t snap at Reid.
At some point in the conversation, you were dragged back to the bullpen. Emily followed but your conversation was left on hold or forgotten, she wasn’t sure.
Seeing you interact with the team caused more heartache for Emily because why couldn’t it be her? Why couldn’t she have one normal interaction with you? But she tried to keep her feelings at bay for the sake of the team. She stood beside JJ, her expression blank and face neutral as she tried to act normally and control her emotions.
Emily went back to her office after giving up on continuing the conversation that you two had. She sat in her chair, leaning forwards slightly as she tried to focus on the files on her table, but she couldn’t help glancing at the door every few minutes, waiting and hoping you would walk in.
When she heard footsteps and a knock on her door, she practically jumped up, straightening out her attire before opening the door. Her heart started racing in her chest.
“I’m going home.” You informed her.
Then Emily’s heart started to ache as it raced, saddened by the news of you leaving already. But she gave you a smile and a nod, trying to seem less affected by it. “Yeah, uhm… I’ll see you then.” She said softly.
You gave a small wave before she watched you walk away. She closed the door and sighed into her chair, her face buried into her palms.
You just walked past the glass doors when you decided to turn around and come back to Emily’s office. You knocked before opening the door. “By the way…” You paused, trying to gain back the courage.
Emily froze in her seat when you suddenly came back. “Y-yes?”
“I missed you too.” You said all in one breath then you clenched your jaw to regain some control as the blush crept up your cheeks. “Bye.” You closed the door rather loudly, losing every bit of the courageous nerves that you had in your body.
Emily’s heart was racing before but now it was running a marathon. She barely managed to compose herself before a smile formed across her lips. Her cheeks blushed slightly as the realization of what just happened sunk in.
You missed her too.
The next time you saw Emily again was surprisingly not in your class but at the little coffee shop just outside the university grounds. Emily was in her casual clothes, sipping slowly on her drink as she got some reading done. Her expression was calm and peaceful, a look of contentment on her face. She glanced out of the window a few times, waiting for no one in particular until she saw you walking on the other side of the street. Then she saw you walked in and waited in line.
You asked the barista your usual and paid for your drink despite Dana’s, the barista, insisting that it’s on her. You scanned the place for a vacant seat and only found one. Across Emily. You took your cup and walked to Emily. “Hi. Fancy meeting you here.” You said. “Can I take this seat or…?”
“Yeah, sure. It’s not taken.”
“So, what are you doing here alone? It’s a little out of the way from Quantico.”
“I forgot to tell you that I started teaching classes here two months ago.”
“You did?”
“Y-yeah. That's why I sit in your class every Thursday. Your class was just an hour after mine.”
“Oh. So you’re Professor P.” You said with a smile. “Some of my students have developed a certain admiration for you.”
“Well, as far as admiration goes…” Emily looked down on your cup and turned it around to show you the phone number and short message that was written in your cup. “Who’s that?”
You frowned. “That’s Dana, the barista and former student of mine.” You sighed. “She keeps giving me her number and I don’t plan on getting called to the Dean’s office for inappropriate relations with a student. I’m surprised she doesn’t get prank calls every time I throw a cup away.”
Even though Emily’s heart still hurts a bit, jealousy clawing into her gut, she couldn’t help but chuckle at the idea of you throwing the cup away every time. “She must really like you.” She commented with a small smile, her words holding a tiny pinch of hurt in her voice.
“And if I liked her back then maybe she finally put something in my drink.” You huffed a laugh. “But she’s harmless.”
Emily nodded in agreement. “You’re just a pretty lovable person.”
“You’re just saying that.”
Emily shook her head, smiling. “I’m really not.”
The two of you got quiet for a second until you asked, “Do you want to have dinner?”
She looked a bit surprised at that but her expression quickly morphed into a smile. “Sure. I’d love to.”
”You still like Asian food right?”
“Of course. I’m practically addicted to spicy Asian food.”
“There’s an Asian Street Food Festival not far from here. You wanna come?”
“Do you even have to ask?” Emily’s heart filled with excitement at the thought of having dinner with you alone after a very long time. It was like her prayers were finally being heard.
You invited Emily to your car and drove her to the place. She looked out the window the whole time as you drove, her eyes flickering between looking at the scenery outside and watching as you drove.
As soon as you arrived, Emily bought a variety of spicy foods while you settled on the savory ones. When everything got too much to hold, you both settled on the bench under a big tree. Emily’s mouth watered at the vast amount of food on the table and her excitement grew.
“This is delicious,” Emily said, glancing over at you as she swallowed her bite. “You do know how to pick the best places.”
“Well, I stumbled on this place accidentally when I ran away from a date last month.”
A small laugh escaped her lips at that, raising an eyebrow and feigning surprise as she glanced at you with a teasing expression on her face. “You ran away from a date?” Emily asked, trying to sound lighthearted and innocent despite the sudden flare of jealousy in her chest.
You nodded, grimacing as you remembered the experience. “It was horrible. She ordered for me and didn’t even let me look at the menu.”
She snorted, shaking her head in both understanding and sympathy. “That’s irritating. I would have run away too.”
“I never had much luck with meeting new people.” You confessed sadly.
Emily’s expression softened a bit at your words. Her eyes filled with gentle understanding and warmed as she looked at you. She reached out, gently placing her hand on top of yours. A small, reassuring smile spread across her lips as she spoke with sincerity. “Dating can be hard but that doesn’t mean you won’t find someone to share your life with.”
“That’s the problem…” Your eyes met Emily’s, your chest suddenly felt a little tight. “I found her already.”
Emily’s eyes widened slightly at your words, her heart practically stopped for a second before it continued beating rapidly. Her face flushed with a dark, rosy blush. Her eyes flickered from you to the food in front of her. Her voice came out a bit breathless and her words slightly flustered. “Y-you did?”
You nodded wordlessly, taking a bite of the food, and trying to avoid her gaze.
Emily’s entire body tingled with excitement and nervousness. “Is there a chance she feels the same way you do?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then maybe you should ask her how she feels just to make sure.”
“I will.”
“Y-you should.”
It was your turn to ask. “Have you ever had any luck? Meeting new people?”
“No.”
“Why? Did the promotion really take too much of your time?”
“It just didn’t feel right.” She admitted, her voice soft, almost sheepish as she fiddled with her food. When she saw the confused expression on your face, she added, “It just didn’t feel right trying to date someone that my heart didn’t belong with.”
You were quiet for a moment. Emily was too. You both focused on finishing the food on your table.
“I want to apologize,” you spoke a while later.
Emily’s eyebrows rose slightly. “For what?”
“For all the things that I said out of anger back then.” Emily’s eyes widened slightly at that. Her heart clenched tightly in her chest as she listened to you. “I wanted to hurt you as much as you hurt me and … it wasn’t fair. Not to me, not to you. I wasn’t in the right headspace. I was … grieving you and the life we had together. All I knew was that I was hurting and everyone must too.”
The guilt bubbled inside Emily as the realization of how much pain she had caused you. Emily took in a deep, shuddering breath.
You continued, “But if I ever made you think that you should have stayed dead, then I’m sorry. It wasn’t… it wasn’t what I really wanted.” Your voice slightly choked on with emotion. “I’m sorry, Emily.”
Emily squeezed your hand tightly, eyes glistening with tears. The guilt was swelling up inside her along with a flare of affection. “I … I forgive you.”
You felt the tightness in your chest slowly loosen and you felt like you could breathe again. You squeezed Emily’s hand, holding her gaze lovingly.
“I…” She tried, her voice coming out in a shaky, slightly choked gasp. “I love you.”
Your breath caught in your throat, heart skipping a beat as your eyes glistened with affection and adoration and finally Emily could see it again: the woman she fell in love with all those years ago, before all the hurt and the pain, before everything. 
“I don’t think I ever stopped loving you.” You said truthfully.
“I think I never stopped loving you either.”
You let out a small, content sigh. “Where do we go from here, Emily?”
Emily stood and offered her hand. You took it and to your surprise, she pulled you into her arms and locked you in a gentle embrace. “Well, we can start by going to my apartment and I can make us some tea. I’ll give you some cookies,” She suggested, a hint of mischievous glimmer in her eyes as she grinned at you.
You put your palm on Emily’s chest, right above her heart, feeling it beat hard and fast. 
She’s alive. 
She’s here.
“That would be nice.”
128 notes · View notes
ericshoney · 2 days
Text
Mini Matt plays detective ~ Matt Sturniolo
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Summary: Matt has got a new girlfriend and Mini Matt doesn't like her and finds out some info.
Warnings: usual swearing, platonic pet names, shouting, crying, name calling, clout chaser girlfriend (sorry to all the Mollie's out there, I picked a random name!), angst with a happy ending.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You were sat on the sofa with Chris, playing Mario Kart happily. Nick sat next to you watching you both scream at the TV, laughing at how competitive you both are. Matt, well you had no idea where he was, until you heard his voice, along with a set of heels.
"Fuck." You mumbled, hearing the noise.
"Guys, Y/n, I'm back and I have Mollie with me." You heard Matt call, as he appeared with his girlfriend.
To be blunt, you hated her. She was rude when she wasn't around Matt, constantly touching him, hanging off him and being all demanding. She had a few hundred followers on socials, which didn't matter, but recently you've noticed all she posts about is Matt, you weren't sure if it was just her being obsessed or trying to get attention.
"Oh hey." Chris mumbled, getting up to grab a drink from the fridge.
"Hey Chris! Hey Nick!" Mollie squealed, totally ignoring your presence.
"I'm here too you know." You mumbled with a sigh.
"Oh sorry sweetie I didn't see you there." She replied, being as fake as her nails.
"Whatever." You muttered, going into your room to take shelter. You knew she'd be around wherever Matt was.
"Hey sweetheart, you okay?" Nick called softly, entering your room behind you.
"Just don't like her." You said, Nick knew you weren't a fan of Mollie, he saw how she really acted.
"I know bub, neither do I or Chris, but until Matt listens, what are we gonna do?" He responded, patting your knee.
"No idea." You sighed.
Nick patted your knee again as he got up to leave your room, letting you relax alone for a bit, knowing you didn't want to be around Mollie.
As you sat in your room relaxing, you decided to do some digging on Mollie. Call yourself petty but you couldn't deal with her much longer. You scrolled through all her social media, most of it being posts about Matt and her, trying to get followers and the regular selfie.
However, as you searched more, you found an upload of a fan account. It was a video of Mollie with one of her friends, the video looking like it was taken in secret. You watched it, listening to what it said and what was mentioned, you couldn't believe your ears.
"I'm only using Matt for clout, that boy is so dumb but it won't be long before I have a ring on my finger."
Grabbing your phone with the leaked video, you rushed into the living room where the guys were sat, Mollie laying right besides Matt. The four looked at you seeing you rush in with your phone held high.
"What's going on, kid?" Chris asked you.
"I was just scrolling through my phone, after doing a bit of digging and discovered this." You answered, passing him your phone.
The four watched the video, Mollie looking at you with hate in her eyes as the guys continued watching.
"It's fake." She quickly said once it stopped.
"Looks fake." Matt agreed quietly.
"Fuck no! It's as real as anything. Mollie's just using you!" You shouted as Chris passed your phone back.
"Y/n, just stop. Really." Matt said.
"What." You said in shock.
"Your just jealous. Can't you be happy for me?" He asked, looking at you.
"Matt, come on." Nick called.
"No, Mollie's using you Matt. Can't you see it." You responded.
"Just stop! Your just being a stupid bitch! You need attention all the time! Oh look it's Mini Matt. Like get over yourself!" He shouted.
You stood frozen in shock at his words. You felt the tears burn in your eyes as you ran back to your room, crashing on your bed, crying at how hurtful and blinded Matt was being. As you curled, a knock was heard at the door.
"Go away." You mumbled.
The person ignored you and you shot up once you heard the sound of Mollie's heels.
"I'll give you credit, nobody has ever found that much information about me in such little time. Well done on that video too." She said, a wicked smirk on her face.
"Why? Why do all this?" You questioned, rubbing your puffy eyes.
"For followers you dumb bitch. Matt and his brothers are doing fucking amazing at the moment so I want a part of it and if I keep going I'll push you out. I've turned Matt against you, won't take long for Nick or Chris to follow." She confessed with a crazy laugh.
"The fuck."
You both looked over and saw Nick, Matt and Chris in your bedroom doorway. A look of hurt now spread across Matt's face.
"Oh I'm joking Matty bear!" Mollie squealed, rushing over to Matt, only to be pushed off.
"Get the fuck away from me. Your sick." Matt growled.
"I suggest you leave and never come back." Nick said.
Mollie sighed in defeat and walked out of the house. You looked at the boys.
"I'm sorry Matt." You said as he came and sat next to you.
"No, I'm sorry." He responded.
"You didn't see what we saw, it's okay, bro." Chris said, patting his shoulder.
"No, you all tried to tell and show me how she was using me but I was too dumb to listen. I'm sorry for calling you a stupid bitch and saying you want attention." Matt responded.
"It's okay. I understand you were angry." You replied.
"I for one, am glad she's gone." Nick said, waving his hands around, making you all chuckle slightly.
"Let's take this as a life lesson. Nobody and I mean nobody comes in and tries to break up what we have here. Nobody replaces Mini Matt either." Chris said.
"Agreed." You, Matt and Nick said at the same time.
"I also don't think your over yourself, petal. Having you in my life makes me happy and I wouldn't have it any other way, even if you can be slightly grumpy." Matt said, teasing you.
"Hey, I'm Mini Matt, so you just called yourself grumpy." You replied.
"She got you there, dude." Chris said as Nick nodded in agreement.
Matt laughed and pulled you in for a hug, Chris and Nick also joined and knew they would be much more careful when it came to relationships and who to trust from now on.
102 notes · View notes
thegoldencontracts · 9 hours
Text
Housewardens React To Being Ignored As A Prank
Riddle Rosehearts
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Collars you, no doubt about it.
Why are you ignoring him like this? If you have a problem, it's your responsibility to communicate it to him, is it not?
He's in a terrible mood the entire time. Why is his partner ignoring him like this? What has he done?
After finding out it's a prank, he'll end up inadvertently turning the tables. Not that he's ignoring you on purpose, he's just peeved, and he really doesn't want to see you right now.
Leona Kingscholar
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He's mostly just annoyed with you, because this is obviously a poorly-planned prank. What exactly are you pulling on him?
Calls you out as quick as he can, and makes sure to inform you exactly how highly he thinks of that little thing.
He'll be a bit more grouchy, and yet, on the flip side, more clingy. Give the man his cuddles, please.
Azul Ashengrotto
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Immediately gets to investigation. Why are you ignoring him? What exactly has he done? Or is it something pertaining to your mental health?
And pretty quickly, he finds you talking about your little prank. He's annoyed, but remains cordial as he confronts you.
He's definitely going to hold a grudge over this. If this is early on in your relationship, he'll really lay on the cold gentleman act.
If this is later on, though, and he knows he can trust you most of the time, he'll go the opposite direction with his reaction, and get real clingy. It's pretty cute, actually.
Kalim Al-Asim
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Is just genuinely sad. Why would you do this to him?
He's really worried that he's accidentally acted careless and hurt you, since he's been told he does that. He does whatever he can to find out what he did wrong.
You're the one to end the thing with a profuse apology, and an odd sense of appreciation at having such a caring partner.
Willing to forgive you easily so long as you promise him you won't do this again.
Vil Schoenheit
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Thinks you're immature and says that straight to your face. He doesn't realize it's a prank at first.
Then, he checks his magicam feed and sees a prank video of the sort, and it hits him.
Vil looks at you, unimpressed, and tells you those pranks are staged and that there's no point in emulating. You tell him you know.
The conversation quickly evolves into less of a talk about healthy communication and more commiseration over both of your feeds being spammed by content farms.
Idia Shroud
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Immediately catches on.
Well, kinda. Ortho informs him immediately, to be specific. Thank Ortho for doing that, because he just saved Idia from a bunch of agonizing, and in turn, you from a massive grudge.
Idia's still huffy with you, asking why you'd do that, and don't you know he doesn't get this stuff, unlike the normies?
Afterwards, he's torn between wanting your reassurance and wanting to be mad at you. Help him out here, please.
Malleus Draconia
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Deeply confused.
Has he done something wrong? Or is this some human ritual he was unaware of?
He asks Lilia, who proceeds to show him the magicam trend, with one little lamentation about how this little trend is half of his feed at this point, and he wants to stop it's spread.
Malleus understands now.
He tries to play along, he's just... Not very good at it.
"No, human, why are you ignoring me? I am incredibly confused because I do not know about the current trend, you see. This makes me worried and I will now proceed to say something that gets you those little 'likes'."
Said in the most deadpan voice ever.
Afterwards, Malleus gets into pranks. He keeps swapping cereals. He recently told Sebek ligma was a term of high respect, and it's all your fault.
Your comeuppance is Sebek calling you a ligma worthy of Malleus, it seems.
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shentheauthor · 2 days
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The iterators are supercomputers, yeah, but fundamentally, they’re the most human characters in all of rain world. Including the ancients.
Moon waited too long to exercise her authority, at the cost of her own life, because she wanted to trust Pebbles to listen to her. She didn’t want to overstep his boundaries.
After her collapse, she was angry, as she should have been, and yet she forgave in the end. Because after everything, her forgiveness and kindness is all she has. And she still has the power to revoke it, as she does with the slugcats when they hurt her.
No Significant Harassment created a creature without any regard for its suffering. He doomed an innocent slugcat to die a slow, agonizing death, all in the name of reviving Moon.
Yes, it was for a good cause, but was the Hunter not also worthy of living? Did they not deserve to experience life to the fullest, just as Moon did?
Five Pebbles was lost and desperate, erratic and severely self destructive. He’s a perfect example of how human the iterators are, because like us, he spirals out of control when faced with that much trauma and burden.
We watch him die slowly, and it’s horrifying, because nobody deserves that fate. And in the end, nobody was able to help him, or even willing to, other than the creatures he thought were so far beneath him.
Seven Red Suns was shortsighted. They wanted to help their friend, someone who looked up to them, and so they did in the only way they knew how. It was a bad idea, but who hasn’t made a bad decision when their intentions were good?
They never even got to say goodbye, or apologize properly. When they tried to fix their mistake, it was already too late, and Pebbles had shut them out. They care deeply, and yet we never hear from them again after spearmaster’s campaign.
The other iterators fascinate me. Why did Unparalleled Innocence expose pebbles’s rot? Why did chasing/gray wind reach out? Who else is out there? What are the stories of the other iterators?
Why did the ancients make them so very human, if they were just going to be discarded like tools once they were no longer needed?
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godly-mistake · 1 day
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Still thinking about Siren's Bay and how the scene offers some good insight into Annabeth's character early on
How up until this scene the reader has only seen Annabeth's outward reactions towards Luke and his betrayal:
At the end of TLT Annabeth does not even try to deny that Luke could do something like this, she accepts it, she believes immediately that it is something he is capable of
And earlier in SOM her only reactions towards him are hurt and anger; she yells at him, calls him insane, tells him how he's disgraced Thalia's memory and her sacrifice
It really leaves you thinking that she's basically given up on him entirely, that she's hurt and betrayed and wants nothing to do with him
but then you get to siren's bay
And you see this vision Annabeth has of her greatest ambitions, of what she wants most in the world, and amongst her visions of great achievements its revealed that one of the things she wants back most is her family
And you see that despite the hurt he's caused her already, despite his betrayal, despite everything; she still cares, she still hopes that there is some impossible way that he can redeem himself, that he can come back, that they can be a family again
It's this hope that's flamed when he argues with Atlas to spare her and she sees that hint of his old self again in TTC
It's hope that wants to find some way to make him to turn back right up until he's fully possessed by Kronos
And it's hope that keeps her trying, keeps her calling out to him when he's possessed, until she does reach him
It's amazing considering how large a part hope plays in the final book that it's talked about so little
Annabeth is such a fucking hopeful character and I will never shut up about it
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fuckyeahisawthat · 2 days
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So Denis Villeneuve has this particular type of close-up shot that he uses to varying degrees in all his movies but uses a lot in Dune, particularly when shooting Paul. In fact he uses one for the very first shot of Paul in Dune Part One.
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There are some common cinematographic elements that define what I would consider the Villeneuve Close-Up (TM), but I'll admit there is also a vibes-based, you-know-it-when-you-see-it element to picking out these shots, which means all discussion here is somewhat subjective and we're talking about general trends instead of fixed categories. But in general, in these shots the camera tends to be at eye-level with the character, which means it can be very low or even on the ground if they are having a floor-based experience.
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Sometimes we're in a SUPER extreme close-up where the character's face is filling the frame.
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Other times we are not actually that close but we know we are seeing something that other characters are not.
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The character may be alone or they may be surrounded by people, but the point of these shots is to reveal something to us the audience that no one else in the scene sees, pulling us into a private emotional world where it's just us and the character. It's a very effective tool for building sympathy and emotional intimacy.
I'm not the only person who's noticed that we lose this specific kind of close-up of Paul entirely in the section of the movie after Paul drinks the Water of Life. I've seen this described as "we're no longer seeing from Paul's POV" or even "he stops being the protagonist of the movie at that point" but I don't think either of these are exactly what's going on. Seeing the world of the story through a certain character's POV is different from what I'm talking about here, and Dune Part Two takes us through many shifts in POV over the course of the movie.
What happens is that we, the audience, recoil from our close, intimate visual and emotional relationship to Paul--or maybe he withdraws from us--for a portion of the movie after he drinks the Water of Life. But, crucially, not right away.
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This shot in the "we're Harkonnens" conversation is such a classic Villeneuve Close-Up (TM). We're positioned as if we're sitting right next to Paul, seeing something on his face that is mostly hidden from Jessica, who's standing across the room and slightly behind him.
I think this shot is super important for telling us (even if we only register it subconsciously) that the Paul we know is not completely dead. Drinking the Water of Life may make you see things that others can't, and it may make you a little unhinged, but it doesn't make you inhuman. There's still a person in there.
I would argue that the distancing from Paul starts in these shots:
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This is still a close-up; we are not much further away from Paul than in the shot above, but the vibe is totally different. Now we are seeing him the way his followers do, closed-off and purposefully intimidating. We are seeing the image he chooses to present to the world and none of the human vulnerability underneath.
We stay at this emotional and visual distance from him for most of the rest of the movie--but not the whole thing. Because after watching Paul be a terrifying force of destruction for half an hour, we get slammed into remembering he is a person--young, hurt, alone; a person who didn't want any of this--at the very end of the movie.
I think you could make an argument for a few different shots being the first Villeneuve Close-Up of the end of the movie. But where I always notice it is here, when the Emperor is talking about Leto.
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While not a particularly close close-up, I'm always struck by this shot as well:
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And then we really get pulled in close to Paul during the duel--particularly at the end of the duel when he's already wounded and it seems like he might lose. We get this angle several times:
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We get this shot that I'm particularly feral about...
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...because while the focus of this shot is (1) the knife and (2) Feyd, someone made sure that the features you notice on Paul's face are his eyelashes and the curls of hair falling in his face, the features that make him look most soft and vulnerable.
And then of course after Paul has won the duel we get this shot, another peak Villeneuve Close-Up (TM) that I have already written about, where Paul is surrounded by people chanting his name but no one to pull the knife out of his shoulder for him.
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And we hold onto that connection with Paul right up through "Lead them to paradise."
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Which is an insane choice for that moment actually! Once again, this is not a super close close-up, but we're watching him from a perspective that no other character can see and we understand that there's no personal triumph in this moment for him.
Now, obviously, there are a lot of other choices being made in these scenes, in terms of writing, performance, lighting, score, everything. The camera placement is just one element supporting the overall storytelling. But it's one that's very easy to track through screenshots and a good example of how one specific element of filmmaking can be used to influence how we see a character, whether or not we even consciously notice it while immersed in the film.
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